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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 






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ALLEGORIES 



CHllISTIAN LESSONS: 



FOR CHILDREN. 



By T. B. I"0X. 



-■A 



'^ OF C 




BOSTON: 

WM. CROSBY & H. P. NICHOLS. 

118 Washington Street. 

1845. 



.T"6 



Entered according to Act of Congress, 
BY WM. CROSBY AND H. P. NICHOLS, 

fn the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of 

Massachusetts. 



Printed by Andrews^ Prentiss S^' Stiidley, 
JVo, 11 Devonshire Street. 



TO 

©Ije (iLeacl)er0 antr (JlljUbren 

Of the Sunday-School of the First Religious Society, 

Newburjport, Mass. : 

With whom he spent so many pleasant 

and profitable hours, — and from whom he has received 

so many expressions of regard, 

THIS LITTLE VOLUME 

is affectionately dedicated by their late 

PASTOR. 



ADVERTISEMENT. 

The following pages are, with a few exceptions, a 
collection of tracts, which the author has from time 
to time given to the children belonging to the society 
of which he was formerly the Pastor. They are re- 
published in this form, with the hope that they may 
be of service in the Chri tian education of the young. 

Boston, May, 1845. 



C O N T E N T S . 



Page 

The Fountain, 9 

The True Way, , > „ - . 21 

The Song of the Angels, - - - - 31 

The Law of Christ, _ _ - . 48 

Little Things — Great Things, - - - 67 

The True Spirit, 89 

Voices in the Temple, . . - . 112 

The Christmas-Tree, . - - . 122 

A Dream of Peace, 139 



CHRISTIAN LESSONS. 



THE rOMTAIN. 



" Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give 
him, shall never thirst." 

There is a far distant land in the east, which, 
thousands of years ago, was a dry and thirsty 
land. There were few rivers to make glad its 
green fields, and few streams to leap in silver 
foam down the sides of its mountains. The 
people suffered much for want of pure water. 
Their rulers took but little care of them, and 
gave them to drink of muddy and unwhole- 
some wells. They would have been in de- 
spair, but for one hope which remained to 
cheer them. In old times, venerable men had 
risen up among their fathers, foretelling, that, 

by and by, a great and good person would ap- 
2 



10 THE FOUNTAIN. 

pear, to help the fainting inhabitants. The day 
for the coming of this long expected one was 
drawing nigh, and the country was full of list- 
ening ears, searching eyes, and anxious hearts. 
At last the rumor went abroad that the De- 
liverer had appeared. Multitudes gathered 
about the man, who was pointed out as the 
friend they had been so long and so anxiously 
waiting for. They were disappointed when 
they saw him. They had fondly and errone- 
ously thought he would come laden with 
wealth, surrounded by many servants, and 
with hosts of soldiers at his command, ready 
to set up his throne, and be a king. But it 
was not so. He was alone. His dress was 
plain and simple. His countenance was not 
that of a fierce warrior, or proud monarch, but 
rather that of a meek and humble man. Still 
there was in his look and manner something 
very attractive. His face beamed with love 
and compassion; and the moment he was 
seen, everybody felt he was no common man. 
At first the multitude were disposed to turn 
away, thinking they had been mistaken. But, 
presently, the stranger opened a fountain — 
the water gushed out bright and clear, and 



THE FOUNTAIN. 11 

radiant with beautiful colors, as it flowed in 
the light of the unclouded sun. All were in- 
vited in kind, and gentle, and persuasive tones, 
to come and drink freely. Only a few ventur- 
ed to approach and taste; but they were so 
dehghted with their draughts, that soon great 
crowds pressed around the fountain. The 
lame drank, and leapt hke the deer. The 
dumb drank, and spoke out their thoughts and 
affections in articulate words. The deaf drank, 
and heard the voices of their friends coming to 
their ears like sweet music. The blind drank, 
and saw the beautiful heavens and the beauti- 
ful earth. Nor was this all. The water gave 
comfort to the afflicted, peace to the troubled, 
and took away the fear of death. It cured the 
anxieties of the mind, and the diseases of the 
heart. This it did for those who drank freely, 
believing that the water was pure and good. 
But, compared with all the people in the land, 
these were few in number; and mostly to be 
found among the poor and suffering. 

The fame of this wonderful fountain, was, 
after a while, known throughout the country. 
The inhabitants were everywhere talking 
about it, and by degrees began to forsake, for its 



12 THE FOUNTAIN. 

sake, all other streams. At last the rulers 
heard of it, and found out how the people 
were deserting the wells out of which alone 
they had commanded them to drink ; and were 
very much alarmed. They feared lest they 
should lose their wealth and power, if the mul- 
titude discovered that their thirst could be 
quenched at this fountain better than at those 
they had provided. To prevent the stranger 
from stealing away the hearts of the people, 
they determined to kill him and destroy his 
fountain. After a time they succeeded, as 
they thought, in their bad purpose. They 
seized the kind friend of the ignorant, poor, 
and distressed multitude. They dragged him 
before the Governor. They accused him of 
distributing poison, and doing a great deal of 
mischief At last they persuaded the Gov- 
ernor, who was a cold hearted, careless man, 
and a foreigner, who cared little about the 
good of the nation, to put the stranger to death. 
He was put to death. All his followers were 
struck with fear and despair, and fled. The 
fountain almost entirely disappeared; and it 
seemed as if the land was again to be left dry 
and thirsty, and the people compelled to drink 



THE FOUNTAIN, 13 

only of such muddy streams as the rulers chose 
to provide. It was a dark and dreadful hour for 
that land. Hope went out, and despair settled 
down upon it like a great cloud. It was as if 
the sun had been quenched, and a gloomy and 
starless night spread over the earth. 

But a new and blessed morning began to 
dawn. The stranger came up from the grave. 
He appeared to some who had been his follow- 
ers, and said to them, " I shall soon depart, 
never more to be seen in this land. You must 
re-open the fountain, and carry its waters into 
every country. For a long time you will be 
opposed and persecuted, and perhaps some of 
you will be put to death. But persevere, and 
if you are faithful, you will have great joy for 
your reward. Wherever the water is carried 
new fountains will spring up. The more peo- 
ple drink of them, the more abundant will they 
be ; until at last they will become a stream to 
quench the thirst of the whole world." Hav- 
ing said this, the stranger went away, and was 
seen no more. 

The followers of the stranger did as he com- 
manded them. They re-opened the fountain, 
and carried the water all over the land. Many 

9# 



14 THE FOUNTAIN. 

came and drank. The wicked rulers tried to 
prevent this by all sorts of punishments. But 
the more the people drank of the new fountain 
the better they loved it, and deserted for it all 
other streams. By and by, those who had the 
care of the fountain travelled into other lands. 
Wherever they went they found persons ready 
to drink, and left in many places fountains pour- 
ing out continually the blessed water. Crowds 
forsook their old wells. They were forbidden 
to do so. They were thrown into prison, and 
many were killed. But others took their places, 
and it was impossible to prevent the people 
from seeking that water which they found to 
be so good, and so much better than any they 
had ever before tasted. After several hundred 
years, the great king who ruled over all the 
countries — where the new fountains were 
flowing — was persuaded to try them. He 
did so; and such was their wonderful effect 
that he commanded all his subjects to use 
them, and appointed a great many persons to 
take care of them. The fountains now in- 
creased so much that they formed a broad 
stream, which kept flowing from east to west, 
through the whole empire. The people were 



THE FOUNTAIN. 15 

greatly blessed by this stream. They ceased 
to be so often sick and so very wicked ; and 
there was everywhere a great deal of joy and 
comfort and peace. 

But after a time many of those who ruled 
over the stream, and were paid great sums for 
taking charge of it, grew very proud and 
wicked. They did not like to have the people 
drink for themselves, just when and just as 
much as they chose. They built high fences 
and shut up the stream, and made everybody 
drink out of the cups they gave them, and pay 
a great deal of money for the privilege. Be- 
sides this, they mixed hurtful things with the 
water, and injured its purity. The water, 
however, was so excellent, that for all the 
pains taken to spoil it, it still did some good. 
But, as those who had the keeping of it grew 
worse and worse, and kept putting into the cups 
they gave the people more and more of poison, 
some noble-minded men rose up and deter- 
mined that the multitude should not be so 
abused and ill-treated; but that the stream 
should, as in former times, be open to all. 
These noble-minded men had a great deal to 
contend with and suffer. Some of them were 



16 THE FOUNTAIN. 

put in prison, and some were put to death. 
But great numbers of the people were on their 
side, and at last they succeeded in breaking 
down a great many of the fences ; and thus 
the stream was once more open to almost 
everybody. Strange quarrels, however, broke 
out among those who drank of the stream. 
All said it was the best of water — -that it 
would make every one better and happier who 
used it. But there were fierce disputes about 
the way in which the stream did good. Some 
contended it was in one way, and some in 
another. The king of one of the lands through 
which the stream ran, was very tyrannical, and 
he ordered all his subjects to believe that the 
waters were what he called them, and did 
good only in the ivay he said. Some of his peo- 
ple could not believe this, and they left their 
native country and went to another land. But 
they did not find there such a home as they 
wanted, and so they determined to go where 
they could think for themselves, without fear 
of being punished. They put their wives and 
little ones on board a ship; they took with 
them the water of the pure stream, and sailed 
over the ocean m. the cold winter, until they 



THE FOUNTAIN. 17 

came to a vast country, inhabited only by wild 
beasts and savages. The water they brought 
became a great river in the new land ; and there 
it has flowed, and keeps flowing now. All who 
please may drink of it, and talk about it ; and 
all who drink of it, as they ought, are made 
better and happier ; for it is the living water, 
and whosoever drinks of it need never thnst 
again. 

You know, children, I suppose, what is meant 
by this little allegory. You know the fountain 
is the religion of Jesus Christ, as it fell from 
his lips, was shown forth in his life, and is now 
contained in the New Testament. You know 
how the Saviour came to bless the people, and 
to teach them the truth which God had sent. 
You know how he was put to death, and how 
he rose from the grave and ascended to heaven. 
You know how the apostles and their followers 
went about preaching the Gospel, and how the 
story of Jesus was written and spread abroad. 
You have heard how the early Christians were 
persecuted and suffered martyrdom, until at last 
their religion took the place of all false religions 
and became the religion of the whole Roman 
Empire. You have been told, perhaps, how 



18 THE FOUNTAIN. 

the Roman Catholic church was for many cen- 
turies the only church ; how our religion was 
corrupted and the people were not allowed to 
have the Bible and read it themselves. You 
have read about the Reformers, who insisted 
that the people should have the right to read 
and think for themselves, and who translated 
the Bible, and circulated it far and wide. 
You remember that our Forefathers, who land- 
ed at Plymouth more than two hundred years 
ago, were descended from some of those reform- 
ers. They left their pleasant homes and came 
to this new land, which was then a wilderness, 
that they might read the scriptures for them- 
selves, and have freedom to worship God as 
their consciences taught them. From these 
good men we have received the religion of 
Jesus. We owe it to their courage, fortitude, 
wisdom and piety, that we have a free and 
happy land to live in, where we may read of 
the Saviour and worship our Father in heaven, 
when and how we please. What a great 
blessing is this ! 

A week ago many Christians celebrated the 
birth of Jesus, when " the Song of the Angels " 
proclaimed " Glory to God in the highest. 



THE FOUNTAIN. 19 

peace on earth, and good will to men." Is not 
this, then, the time to think of our Father's 
love in sending us the Saviour to be our teach- 
er and guide to heaven ? 

The 22d of last month was the anniversary 
of the landing of the Pilgrims — from whom 
we are descended, and by whose sufferings we 
have been richly blessed. Is not this, then, 
the time to think of the faith that sustained 
them in all their trials, and gave them wis- 
dom to prepare this goodly land for their child- 
ren? 

We are just beginning a new year, and we 
have just been wishing our friends a happy 
new year. Is not this, then, the time to think 
how we may make all our years good years ? 
Yes, this is the time — to remember Jesus — 
to dwell upon the memory of our forefathers — 
and to consider what is our privilege and duty. 
To help you to do this, I have told you the 
story of " The Fountain." And now, children, 
will you not endeavor always to drink of " the 
living water ? " You can get it " without 
money and without price." Will you not 
strive to sit at the feet of Jesus, and learn of 
him ? If you will do this, whether you die be- 



20 THE FOUNTAIN. 

fore another year shall come, or whether you 
live long upon earth, God will smile upon you, 
and you will suffer no real evil. And remem- 
ber, children, you may go away from earth at 
any moment. Of those who were with you 
twelve months ago, some are now numbered 
with the dead. The sunshine and the dews 
of summer have fallen on their buried bodies ; 
their spirits, which can never die, are, we 
trust, in heaven. You must follow them into 
the unseen world. Will you not begin to pre- 
pare for the life that is to come, by begin- 
ning now, to be good and holy. Will you not, 
in one word, listen to the Blessed One, when 
he says, *' Whosoever liveth and believeth in 
me, shall never die ; " and '' whosoever drink- 
eth of the water that I shall give him, shall 
never thirst, for it shall be in him a well of wa- 
ter, springing up into everlasting life ! " 

Jan. 1839. 



THE TRUE WAY. 



A BAND of boys and girls stood round a 
Teacher, at the beginning of a certain road ; 
which he thus described to them. He said, it 
was very straight, but not very wide ; that it 
was built up higher than the rest of the country, 
and that its banks were steep. He told them 
it was not all smooth, nor all level, nor all 
bright with sunshine; but sometimes it ran 
along stony places, up steep hills, through dark 
hollows, and places filled with thorns. Yet, on 
the whole, it was very pleasant and beautiful, 
and led through fair lands, and all travellers 
would find on it enough to satisfy their wants. 
At the end of this road, continued the Teacher, 
there is a large and beautiful palace, surround- 
ed by green fields and large gardens full of 
laughing rivulets, prattling fountains, lovely 
flowers, shady walks, and rich ripe fruit. In 
the palace are many rooms, some larger than 
others, but all convenient and pleasant. Th e 
inhabitants of the palace are all very happy. 
3 



22 THE TRUE WAY. 

They have no reason to weep, and they are 
disturbed by no storms, for the sky above them 
is always serene. The Teacher farther as- 
sured the children, — and at this their eyes 
sparkled, and they listened almost without 
breathing, — that the owner of the fine palace 
would be glad to see them all, and let them 
live with him forever, if they would mind his 
words ; therefore, he invited them all to set 
out at once on the road, and walk on as fast as 
thej could. Before they started, however, the 
Teacher was too honest not to tell them one 
thing more, — and that was, that they would 
often be tempted to leave the road; that in 
some of the dark places, unless they were very 
careful, they would miss it; that sometimes 
they would be tired and wish to stop, or turn 
back ; that many who had set out had returned 
or fallen down the sides of the road : but they 
could avoid all these dangers and evils if they 
would only persevere and keep straight for- 
ward, and, what was very curious, the farther 
they went, the easier it would be to go on ; so 
that instead of finding themselves growing 
weary, they would find themselves growing 
stronger and stronger, — especially if they 



THE TRUE WAY. 23 

listened to another Teacher who would meet 
them on the road, and be ready to help them 
out of difficuhies, give them good advice, and 
tell them always just how to act. 

Whilst the Teacher was saying these things, 
some of the children listened very attentively ; 
but others — I am sorry to say — behaved, as 
scholars in Sunday schools sometimes do, and 
were most of the time very impatient, laughing 
and talking among themselves, looking round 
first at one thing and then at another, and 
thinking all the while that they did not want 
any advice, but could get along on this road, or 
any road, by themselves, and without anybody's 
help. 

The Teacher finished. The children started. 
But they had gone only a few steps, when they 
began to separate — and alas ! before long, 
some left the road. A little girl happened to 
catch a glimpse of herself in a small lake, by 
the side of the road, and was so pleased that 
she crept down the bank to see more. There 
she stood, forgetting all about the fine palace, 
and wholly taken up w^ith admiring her pretty 
face, her flowing curls, and bright ribbons. In 
the midst of her joy she began to sing, and 



/. 



24 THE TRUE WAY. 

was wonderfully delighted with her own voice, 
— although the song of the birds w^as much 
sweeter. So she staid listening to her own 
music, and gazing at herself in the water- 
mirror. One of the boys saw, at a little dis- 
tance, a cluster of trees laden with fruit, and, 
although some of his companions told him 
there would be food enough on the road, he 
was afraid he should not get as much as he 
wanted, or thought he could not wait ; so he 
jumped down the bank and ran to the trees, 
and shook down the pears, and apples, and 
peaches, and plums, and began to eat, and re- 
mained there eating; not because he was 
hungry, but because the fruit tasted good. 
Another child felt a little tired, although he 
had walked very slow, and seeing a green 
hillock covered with trees that made a pleas- 
ant shade, he thought it would do no harm to 
go and rest there a while ; thinking he could 
soon catch up with the company. But when 
he had laid there a few moments, he began to 
imagine it was quite as pleasant a place as the 
fine palace could be, and so he fell sound 
asleep. Still another of the party was afraid 
his companions would ask him to help them, 



THE TRUE WAY. 25 

or beg a portion of his good things, and seeing 
a little dark path, that seemed to run along the 
same way as the great road, he slipped down 
into it, — not doubting he should thus get to 
the end of the journey sooner than the rest. 
There was also a boy who told very large 
stories, and kept deceiving his fellow travellers, 
till they would neither have anything to say 'to 
him, nor trust him, — and so he was left behind 
and very soon lost his way. Some of the 
young pilgrims, too, began early to dispute 
about one thing and another, and commenced 
calling hard names, and pushing and striking, 
till they knocked each other down the banks, 
and lay grovelling in the mud and dirt. Several 
more, of whom I have not time to speak, from 
one cause and another quitted the straight 
road, and either turned back or wandered away 
in a wrong direction. Almost every one of 
those who thus gave up, did not listen, in the 
beginning, to the Teacher. 

But of those who did hsten to the Teacher, 
almost every one kept straight and steadily on, 
and soon met the second teacher, a beautiful 
lady, with a face full of love, clothed in a pure 

white robe, and carrying in her hand a cross, 
3=^ 



26 THE TRUE WAY. 

with a wreath of olive leaves around it. With 
her assistance they moved on quite fast; but 
not without some difficulties. They saw and 
plucked many flowers, which, as the teacher 
told them, the owner of the beautiful palace 
placed along the road as love-tokens and signs 
of what they would enjoy, all the time, when 
they reached their journey's -end. Sometimes 
these children, who kept on the road, were 
tempted to leave it, as the others had done 
before. They too saw the little lake, the fruit 
trees, the green hill ; they sometimes thought 
they could do better alone; they sometimes 
began to say strange things, or to dispute a 
little ; but whenever anything of this sort hap- 
pened, the teacher looked sad, and that check- 
ed them ; they dropped a tear and pressed on- 
ward. There were two very curious facts which 
these children found out. The first was, as the 
first teacher told them, the farther they w^ent 
the stronger they felt ; the second was, that to 
help each other did not delay them at all ; they 
could go a great deal faster when they walked 
hand in hand. 

So they went on, until all at once there 
was a paitse. The travellers stood still. The 



THE TRUE WAY. 27 

beautiful teacher took from her bosom a small, 
but very bright mirror, which she held up to 
the children, who had kept on the road, and 
told them to look into it. They did so. Then 
she asked if they were contented and wished 
to keep on, or turn back. They smiled, and 
with one voice declared they would not go back 
on any account. At this the teacher seemed 
much pleased ; her face beamed with affection, 
and she w^aved her cross and bade them press 
on, and not be weary or faint-hearted. 

Next, the teacher went back and called the 
children who had left the straight road. The 
little girl ceased her singing and came away 
from the lake. The boy under the tree forgot 
his fruit. The child who walked in the dark 
lonely by-path made a little hole in the bushes, 
so that he might see and yet not be seen. 
All the rest of the wanderers came as near the 
beautiful female with the cross as the banks 
of the road would permit. She bent over and 
held the mirror towards the children. Some 
looked into it for several moments, and seem- 
ed thoughtful and sad. Others gave a glance, 
and turned quickly away, as if they had seen 
something very ugly. The teacher then asked 



28 THE TRUE WAY. 

them if they were contented, or if they should 
like to get back into the straight road. At this 
some hung down their heads and blushed, and 
the tears came into their eyes ; whilst others 
laughed and tried to be very bold, as if they 
did not care for anything and were determined 
to insist upon it that they were as well off as 
they could be or wished to be. The teacher, 
however, knew better. She saw that they were 
not happy, that their hearts beat quick, and 
their limbs trembled whenever she held up the 
mirror. She pitied them very much, and told 
them they would have no true peace whilst 
they kept off the straight road. *' Perhaps," she 
said, " if you will try now very hard, and walk 
very fast, you may get on the road again, and 
finally arrive at the beautiful palace.'' And 
most earnestly did she hold out her cross, and 
beg them to take hold of it, and come up and 
follow her. Some obeyed her voice and climb- 
ed up the banks. Others said they would 
think about it, and perhaps by and by they 
would do as she wished. The rest turned 
away, scowling and looking very obstinate. 
The pause now ended and the travellers went 
on again. 



THE TRUE WAY. 29 

This, children, is my parable. Shall I ex- 
plain it ? The road is the Way of True Life. 
The beautiful palace is Heaven. The first 
teacher is Truth. The second teacher is Re- 
ligion. Her little mirror is the mirror of Self 
Examination. The little girl at the lake was 
led astray by Vanity ; the boy eating fruit by 
Appetite; the child asleep by Indolence; the 
child in the dark lonely path by Selfishness; 
the teller of large stories by Falsehood; those 
that disputed by Anger, and Envy, and Jeal- 
ousy, and other Bad Passions. All who left the 
road were Slaves of Sin ; but those who kept 
on the road were the Lovers of Goodness. The 
pause is the Close of a Year. 

In my parable, you may find, perhaps, pic- 
tures of yourselves. You have been brought 
to the close of another year; and where, on 
self-examination, do you find yourselves ? Sup- 
pose a book had been kept for each one of you, 
in which, on white leaves, with bright letters, 
had been written all your good thoughts, feel- 
ings, words, and actions ; and on dark leaves, 
with black letters, all your bad thoughts, feel- 
ings, words, and actions ; would there be in the 
book more dark than light, or more light than 



30 THE TRUE WAY. 

dark pages ? Are you on, or off the straight 
road? Does any little girl's conscience tell 
her she is vain, and thinks more of herself 
than of anybody or anything besides? Do 
any see themselves lying idle on the hillock, 
or in the lonely and dark by-path, or under 
the trees, thinking only of their appetites, or 
led away by falsehood, or among any of the 
slaves of sin. If any of you do, oh ! then you 
are off the road, and unless you arouse your- 
selves, and watch and pray, and listen to the 
teachers, you will never get on it again, so as 
to arrive at last at Heaven. Do any of you 
think you have been walking or trying very 
hard to walk in the way of true life ? Then 
be of good cheer — and strive with new 
courage. As you go on, peace will, like a 
summer's morn, rise in your bosoms ; and 
at last the gates of the beautiful palace will 
open to receive you, and the Owners your 
Heavenly Father, and all its inhabitants, will 
greet you with open arms, and smiles of joy. 

Dec. 1837. 



THE SONG OF THE ANGELS. 



" Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, 
good will toward men." 

Most of you, children, know, I suppose, 
what a census is. Once in every ten years, in 
this country, persons are sent round to all the 
houses to count the people, and to see how 
many there are in each town and state : and 
this is called " taking a census. ^^ 

Almost two thousand years ago, Csesar Au- 
gustus Octavianus reigned over the Eoman 
Empire, of which, at that time, Palestine, or 
the Holy Land, the country inhabited by the 
Jews, was a part. This Caesar Augustus sent 
out a decree, or an order, " that all the world 
should be taxed " — or that a census should be 
taken of the people ; and all the people went 
to have their names taken down, — " every 
one to his own city ; " that is, to the city where 
he or his ancestors were born. Joseph was 
one of the descendants of David ; and, there- 
fore, he went from Nazareth, in Galilee, where 



32 THE SONG 

he lived, to the city of Bethlehem, in Judea, 
the native place of David, to be taxed. Mary, 
his espoused wife, went with him. While 
they were there, God gave Mary a son. The 
inn was so crowded that she was obliged to 
lay the child in a manger — or rather in another 
room, — the stable where the camels and the 
horses were kept. 

It was a beautiful night out upon the hills 
and fields around Bethlehem. Not a sound 
was to be heard. The stars shone in their still 
brightness. All was calm and peaceful. The 
shepherds reclined on the green grass, " keep- 
ing watch over their flocks," and thinking, per- 
haps, of that Saviour and Prince, for whose 
coming all the Jews were looking. And lo I an 
angel, or messenger of the Lord, came upon 
t}iem ; and the glory of the Lord, — a brilliant 
light, — shone round about them. At this the 
shepherds were greatly afraid. But the angel 
said to them, "Fear not: for behold I bring 
you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to 
all people ; for unto you is born this day, in the 
city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the 
Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you ; ye 
shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling 



OF THE ANGELS. 33 

clothes, lying in a manger." As soon as the 
angel had said this, ''there was with him a 
multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, 
and saying, ' Glory to God in the highest, and 
on earth peace, good will toward men.' " After 
the angels had finished their song and dis- 
appeared, the shepherds went to Bethlehem, 
and found Mary and Joseph and the babe: 
and returned praising God for all the things 
which they had heard and seen : rejoicing that 
the Saviour and Teacher, whom they had been 
so long and so anxiously expecting, was at last 
come. 

Thus, according to the New Testament, was 
Jesus Christ born. He was laid in an humble 
manger : but the hour of his birth was celebra- 
ted by the shining forth of a glorious light 
from heaven, and the sweet music of angels. 

It has been the custom of almost all Christ- 
ians, to keep the birth day of Jesus, and to set 
apart the twenty-fifth day of December for this 
purpose. It is not certain that the Saviour was 
born on that day. Indeed we do not know ex- 
actly on what day he was born. And it is not 
of much matter ; for we ought always to be 
willing to remember and rejoice over this bless- 
4 



34 THE SONG 

ed event. The best way to do this is to think 
of the virtues of Jesus and the blessings he 
came to bring, and the good he came to do, that 
thus we may learn how to be his followers. 

Now the words of the text — the beautiful 
song of the angels — tell us this. They tell 
us for what Jesus Christ was sent into the 
world. It was 

I. To give glory to God. 

II. To bring peace on earth. 

III. To increase good will toward men. 

It is about each of these I wish to speak 
now. 

I. How does Jesus, in his religion, give ghry 
to God? 

Suppose you wished to make people honor 
and love any great and good man. Would 
you not tell them about his virtues, his noble 
actions, his holy life ? And when they heard 
this, when they knew him as a person of 
great wisdom and excellent character, would 
they not admire and respect him, and thus 
give him honor ? It was somewhat in this way 
that Jesus came to give glory to God. He 
came to teach men about God; to tell them 
what sort of a being God is, and what sort of 



OF THE ANGELS. 35 

things it is his delight to do. Before the time 
of Christ, all the nations, except the Jews, 
knew very little concerning the true God. 
They worshipped idols and bowed down before 
statues of wood and marble, and silver and 
gold. At Athens, one of the largest and most 
beautiful cities in Greece, where the people 
were very intelligent, magnificent temples 
were built, and altars raised, to false deities. 
You remember we are told in the Acts, that St. 
Paul went to Athens, and found the city wholly 
given up to idolatry, and an altar having written 
on it, " To the unknown God ; " and he went 
to Mars Hill and preached to the people, and 
told them not to think that God was like unto 
gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and 
man's device; but to believe in and adore 
the one living and true God, who made the 
world, and all things therein. And the Jews 
themselves, although they knew more about 
God than the heathen, did not know so much 
as we do. They feared him as a great king ; 
they trembled before him as a being of great 
power. They did not look to him as to a 
parent and a being full of love. Now Jesus 
came to give glory to God by teaching his true 



36 THE SONG 

character, by making him known as our Father 
who is in heaven. Suppose you had been 
born, thousands of years ago, in some heathen 
land ; suppose you had not been taught any- 
thing about the true God, but had been taught 
to worship statues of stone, as they did in 
Greece and Rome ; or the beasts and reptiles, 
as they did in Egypt ; or the sun, as they did in 
Persia ; or the rivers, as they do in some places 
in the East, at this day. And suppose farther, 
one had come to teach you that God was a 
great and good Spirit, — your Father and your 
Friend, — that he was always with you, al- 
ways ready to take care of you, always willing 
to listen to your prayers, — that he watched 
even the fall of the sparrow, and gave beauty 
to the lilies of the fields, and numbered the 
very hairs of your heads ; in a word, that he 
was just such a kind and merciful Being as He 
is represented in the New Testament ; — • 
should you not have rejoiced to learn all this? 
would it not have made you happy and led 
you to adore and glorify God? Now this is 
what Jesus, in his religion, has been, and is 
doing, in the world. He is revealing to men 
their Father, and persuading them to worship 



OF THE ANGELS. 37 

him in spirit and in truth. Well, then, might 
the angels proclaim the Saviour's birth by- 
singing, " Glory to God in the highest ; " and 
well may we, when we think of Jesus coming 
to bless mankind, by telling them that the Al- 
mighty is their tender Parent, repeat the song, 
" Glory to God in the highest." 

II. Jesus came to bring peace on earth. 
How did he do this ? He came to bring two 
kinds of peace; first, peace of mind, — inward 
peace, — and second, peace among the nations. 

1. What, children, makes people miserable? 
Is it not their sins, their fears, and their sor- 
rows ? Do you suppose that if you were per- 
fectly good, were not afraid of death, and could 
see that all your disappointments and losses 
were intended to make you better, you would 
ever be very much troubled or very unhappy ? 
Well, did not Jesus come to bestow peace, by 
teaching people to be holy, — not to indulge 
bad passions, not to steal, not to lie, not to do 
anything wrong ? Did he not come to bestow 
peace, by teaching that there is a brighter 
world beyond the tomb — a life that shall 
never end ? Did he not come to bestow peace, 

by teaching that there is a Father in heaven 

4# 



38 THE SONG 

always looking upon us with love, and who, 
when he afflicts and tries us, does it for our 
good ? Yes, children, in this way Jesus came 
to bestow peace. And many have received 
within their bosoms more or less of this peace, 
which this world can neither give or take 
away. Many have felt in their hearts the 
sweet joy of goodness. Many have calmly 
and cheerfully laid down to die ; many have 
borne pain and sorrow with patience and with- 
out a murmur, because they have learned the 
lessons the Saviour taught, and believed all 
his rich and beautiful promises. Let me tell 
you of one who had this inward peace. 

Many years ago, a boy — Edward VI. — was 
king of England. He was a gentle and hum- 
ble child. He had a beautiful cousin, a girl, 
a little older than himself, the Lady Jane Grey. 
For a girl, she knew a great deal — could read 
Greek and several other languages ; but she 
was not made vain by her beauty or her talents. 
She was good and religous. Jane's father was 
a very ambitious and bad man ; and when he 
found young Edward could not live long, he per- 
suaded him to make a will and leave his king- 
dom — not to his sister Mary, who had a right 



OF THE ANGELS. 39 

to it, — but to liis cousin Jane, who had no 
such right, but whom he loved very much, be- 
cause they had been playmates and school- 
mates. After the king's death, the father of 
Jane told her she must be Queen of England. 
She was so much afflicted by this news, that 
she fainted away ; and was very unwilling to 
ascend the throne. At last as her father urged 
her so strongly, she consented. But the peo- 
ple disliked Jane's father, and they knew that 
Mary ought to be queen. Jane reigned only a 
few days before Mary's friends conquered; 
and the poor girl was taken and cast into 
prison, and condemned to death. And how do 
you think she met her sad lot ? She was very 
young — not more than seventeen. Life had 
for her many bright things. To be thus sudden- 
ly cut off, in the fresh morning of her days, was 
hard indeed. But, children, Jesus had given 
her peace. She willingly gave up the crown 
she had put on with so much reluctance, and 
calmly awaited the hour of death. She told 
her father she rejoiced at her approaching end. 
She gave her Greek Testament to her sister, 
and told her how much comfort she had found 
in it, and urged her to read and study it. When 



40 THE SONG 

her last day came, she was brought out to die. 
She knelt down on the scaffold, and repeated 
that beautiful Psalm, beginning with " Have 
mercy upon me, O Lord, according to thy lov- 
ing kindness " — then laid her head upon the 
block — the axe fell, and she was no more. 
Thus died the Lady Jane Grey, full of that 
peace Jesus gives to his sincere and true fol- 
lowers. 

When we think, then, of the birth of Jesus, 
can we help joining the heavenly host, and 
singing " Glory to God in the highest, and on 
earth peace ? '* 

2. But, as I said, there is another kind of 
peace besides peace of mind, which Jesus came 
to bring, and that is peace among nations. He 
came to put an end to wars and fightings. He 
came to teach men to forgive one another, as 
they wished to be forgiven by God. He came 
to teach men to love their neighbors as them- 
selves. He came to teach men that they are 
immortal spirits, and ought to pity, rather than 
to quarrel with, those who injure themselves 
more than they do others, when they commit 
sin and are unjust. And if all would learn 
what the Saviour has taught, would not the 



OF THE ANGELS. 41 

world be fall of peace ? Some have learned 
it ; more and more are learning it every day. 
The number of war-makers is, I hope, growing 
smaller, and the number of peace-makers grow- 
ing larger. How beautiful the world would be, 
were all battles and bloodshed done away I 
There have been a few cases in which men 
have obeyed the instructions of Jesus. Wil- 
liam Penn, the Quaker, after whom the State of 
Pennsylvania was named, because he was the 
first to bring people to live there, was a peace- 
man. Instead of fighting with the red men, 
he treated them as friends, bought their land, 
and paid them for it fairly and honestly. He 
and his companions had no soldiers, and no 
forts. They did not carry about with them 
guns and swords, and they took care not to 
injure the Indians. The Indians soon learned 
that William Penn was a good man, and that 
the Quakers were peaceable and just, and 
therefore they did not attack them and mur- 
der them. For seventy years the colony of 
William Penn prospered; and during that 
time had no quarrels with the natives. Only 
three persons out of many hundreds were 
killed during all this time. Two of these 



42 THE SONG 

. were men who forgot to be peace-men, and 
went out into the fields armed. The other 
was a woman, who was frightened and fled to 
a fort. The Indians thought that these three 
persons were their enemies, and slew them. 
But all the rest, who never appeared inclined 
to disturb or to injure any one, the Indians 
never harmed. It was not so with the other 
colonies. Our fathers, here in New England, 
were at war almost constantly with the Indians, 
and after the fighting began they had to keep on 
fighting till they had driven the Indians away. 
Was not William Penn's plan the best? And 
would it not be well, if all nations followed his 
example — if all men would be true disciples 
of the Prince of Peace — and so put an end 
to wars ? Jesus came to bid us lay aside all 
enmities, and rule our bad passions, and gov- 
ern our tempers, and live in friendship and 
love. Well, therefore, might the angels pro- 
claim his birth, and sing *' Glory to God in 

THE HIGHEST, AND ON EARTH PEACE ! '* 

III. Jesus came to bring good will toward 
men. And how did he do this ? You remem- 
ber the parable of the Good Samaritan, and 
know what it means. You know that the Sa- 



OF THE ANGELS. 43 

viour taught us to clothe the naked, feed the 
hungry, visit the sick and those in prison. 
You know that he taught that all are God's 
children, and all ought to treat each other as 
brethi'en. You know too what a perfect exam- 
ple he set, and how he went about doing good. 
He was always ready to heal the lame, give 
sight to the blind, speech to the dumb, and in- 
struction to the ignorant. He ate and drank 
with publicans and sinners. He blessed those 
who mourned. His whole life was full of 
kindness and benevolence. Many have listen- 
ed to his words and imitated his example. 
And although there is a great deal of misery 
and sin and suffering in the world now, men 
have been more merciful and charitable to- 
wards their fellow men, than they were before 
the Saviour appeared on earth. Let me tell 
you of one who was moved by good will toward 
the wretched and wicked. 

In England there was a prison called New- 
gate, in which were confined some of the most 
wicked criminals. Several years ago a Quaker 
lady, Mrs. Elizabeth Fry, had compassion on 
these criminals, and became very anxious to 
do something to make them better. At length 



44 THE SONG 

she obtained permission of those who had 
charge of the prison to visit them. The prison 
then contained one hundred and sixty females. 
One day the Quaker lady, in her plain drab 
colored dress, with a white handkerchief fold- 
ed over her bosom, a simple muslin cap fitted 
close to her head, and a Bible in her hand, en- 
tered the room where these women were kept. 
They were noisy and vulgar ; screaming, and 
cursing, and swearing, and seeming more like 
wild beasts than like human beings. But when 
they saw their visitor looking so caltn, peace- 
ful, and kind, they were all still. She walked 
among them, spoke to them in tones of pity 
and affection, such as they had seldom heard. 
She held out to them the Bible, and said, " I 
do not come without authority. This book has 
led me unto you. I will do all I can ; but you 
must help me." In this way she gained their 
confidence. Then she took other ladies with 
her and taught the prisoners and their children, 
and read to them about Jesus their Saviour, 
and tried in various ways to make them better, 
until, in a few years, this gloomy prison was 
changed into an " asylum of repentance, and 
school of industry." I might tell you of many 



OF THE ANGELS. 45 

others who have tried to obey Jesus, and show 
good will toward their fellow creatures. I 
might tell you of many others who have visited 
prisons and dungeons. I might tell you of the 
Sisters of Charity, a society of women in Paris, 
who give up everything else and devote them- 
selves entirely to taking care of the sick. I 
might tell you of missionaries who have gone 
far away to heathen lands to preach the Gos- 
pel. But this I need not do. In every kind- 
ness neighbor does to neighbor, in the hospitals 
for the sick, the asylums for the deaf and dumb, 
for the blind, for orphans, in our Sunday-schools, 
in all that good people are doing to make man- 
kind holier and happier, you can see that love 
which Jesus came to spread abroad. And 
when you see all this you will know why the 
angel told the shepherds the birth of the babe, 
in the manger at Bethlehem, would be glad 
tidings of great joy, and why the heavenly host 
sang " Glory to God in the highest, and on 
earth peace, good will toward men." 

Thus I have told you, children, how the Sa- 
viour came to bring glory to God — peace, and 
good will toward men. But the Gospel has not 
yet done its whole work. There are many, 
5 



46 THE SONG 

very many, who do not know God ; and there 
is much, alas, how much ! of fighting, selfish- 
ness, and cruelty in the world ! Our holy re- 
ligion will in time do this wickedness away, 
if men will but listen to its commands. It can- 
not, however, make us good, whether we will 
be good or not. It comes to us, as Elizabeth 
Fry went to the prisoners, and says to us, " I 
will do all I can — but you must help me." 

It comes to you, children, and calls upon you 
to try to make men better. You may all be 
missionaries and ministers. To be a mission- 
ary, it is not necessary to go to foreign lands.' 
To be a minister, it is not necessary to stand 
in the pulpit. You can be preachers of the 
Gospel, whenever you try to make yourselves, 
or your companions and fellow men. Christ- 
ians. Learn, then, of Jesus, to love and obey 
God as your heavenly Father. Learn of him 
to be at peace in your own bosoms, to rule and 
keep down your angry passions, to avoid and 
prevent all the quarrels you can. Learn of 
him to be kind and generous, and ready to do 
all the good you can for your friends and for 
the whole world. Learn this of the Saviour, and 
then you will be his disciples, his missionaries, 



OF THE ANGELS. 47 

his ministers ; then you will be doing some- 
thing to establish the kingdom of heaven on 
earth. Kemember, you cannot live here al- 
ways. And when your last hour comes, if you 
have done all the good you could, how pleasant 
it will be to look back on well-spent lives, — 
how pleasant to look forward to that better 
world where all is purity and happiness, and 
where you may join the heavenly host in their 
glorious song, ** Glory to God in the high- 
est, AND ON EAllTH PEACE, GOOD WILL TOWARD 
MEN ! " 

Jan. 1838. 



THE LAW OF CHRIST. 



'' Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law 
of Christ." 

Children : — Why were we not all made 
giants ? Why were we not sent into the world 
large enough and strong enough to do every- 
thing for ourselves ? Why can we not with 
our own hands break down the stoutest trees 
just as we break off the smallest twigs, or lift 
the large rock as easily as we lift the smallest 
pebble ? Why can we not, whenever we wish, 
wade across the ocean, step to the top of the 
highest mountain, and walk without fatigue, 
and quicker than the bird can fly, round the 
whole earth ? Why cannot every one do for 
himself everything that can be done in this 
world ? Sometimes men are selfish, and seem 
to think they have only to take care of their 
own comfort, and so live very well without 
other people. But is it so ? Suppose an infant 
was placed alone, on some uninhabited island ; 
what would become of him? would he live 



THE LAW OF CHRIST, 49 

and grow up to be a man- — build houses and 
ships — plough the fields and cut down the for- 
ests ? I think I see you laugh at my question ; 
and well you may : for you know how helpless 
the baby is, and how carefully his mother must 
tend him for many long rrionths. You know 
too how many years it is before he is able to 
get his own living. You know more than this. 
You know that without the help of others he 
would never live well and comfortably ; for we 
are all fastened together and must have each 
other's assistance. Just think for a moment. 
Could one man make a house, could any of us 
do more than just keep ourselves alive, if we 
had everything \q do for ourselves? How hap- 
pens it that you can go to school, and study ? Is 
it not because there is one person to make your 
shoes, another to make your clothes, another to 
cook your food, and so on ? And is it not the 
same with everybody else ? One man cannot 
do everything : and there are towns and cities, 
and enough to eat and drink, and much to en- 
joy, because all work together and each does 
his part. So you see how much each depends 
upon all, and all upon each. 
5# 



50 THE LAW OF CHRIST. 

Children, why can all love, and why must 
we all have somebody and something to hve^l 
It is so. You are able to love your parents, 
brothers, sisters, friends. You all love some 
persons, some favorite animals or playthings, 
and you would not be happy if you did not. 
"What is it that makes your mothers take 
so much care of you ? What is it that so ties 
you to your playmate or school-fellow ? What 
causes us to feel pity when we see others in 
pain? What awakens in us desire to help 
people when they are in distress? Did you 
ever know any men or women who were 
pleasant and contented, without letting any- 
body, or anything have a place in their hearts ? 
How fond people are even of their cats and 
dogs and rabbits, the houses they live in, 
the very tools they work with. How often we 
see friends walking arm in arm, and always 
trying to keep together. What sweet smiles 
of affection, and warm caresses, good parents 
give their children. We were made, then, to 
love; were we not? 

Here, then, children, are two facts I wish 
you to think about. The first fact is, we can- 
not live ahne ; cannot do everything for our- 



THE LAW OF CHRIST. 51 

selves. The second fact is, we must love 
somebody and something. Now what duty do 
these facts teach ? Do they not say just as 
the Apostle Paul says, we ought to bear one 
another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of 
Christ ? Do they not say each should be ready 
to help all, and all be ready to help each ? Do 
they not say that our Heavenly Father meant 
that all his children should live together, like a 
great and aifectionate family, in which every 
member should do all he can to assist every 
other member? Did you ever think what 
makes the beautiful painting ? There are vari- 
ous colors in it, some bright and some dark ; 
there are lights and shadows, but together 
they bring out the fine picture. And why ? Is 
it not because they are put on the canvas so 
as to agree together and help each other? 
You may carelessly throw ever so many colors 
together, and they will not make a portrait or a 
landscape. The colors must be put in the 
right place and be made to blend and harmo- 
nize, and then we have something worth look- 
ing at. Just so is it with men. If they are 
only huddled together in a crowd, if everybody 
thinks only of himself, then there is no peace 



52 THE LAW OF CHRIST. 

or order ; all is confusion. But when people 
love their neighbors, and every one remembers 
he has somebody to live for besides himself, 
then families and schools and towns are good 
and happy. If God had meant that we should 
be selfish and take care of ourselves alone, He 
would have made us able to do so, and would 
not have made us able to love. So you see, 
children, the true way to live is to be ready to 
bear each other's burdens. And it is about 
this I wish to say a few words. I wish to tell 
you how you can obey the law of Christ, and 
help your fellow creatures. Perhaps you think 
boys and girls can do but very little. You 
may say, How can I, small as I am, do any 
great good ? The most I could do w^ould be b^it 
a trifle. When you say this, you are mistaken. 
You can do a good deal. 

I. In the first place you can do much by 
takina; care not to be troublesome ; not to tease 
and interrupt other people, when they are busy ; 
not to make a noise when they wish to be still. 
Go into that house. There is a large family of 
children, they are rude, boisterous, and selfish. 
They are quarrelling and thinking only of them- 
selves. They crowd and push to get the 



THE LAW OF CHRIST. 53 

warmest place by the fire, the best place at 
the window or the table. They talk all to- 
gether, and very loud. They leave the doors 
open, or slam them with all their might. If 
anybody is sick, they care little about it, and 
do not try to be quiet. Do you not think such 
children do much to increase the burdens of 
their parents and friends ? But now go into 
this house, where there is another lot of boys 
and girls. They are kind and polite and gentle 
to each other. They think as much of their 
brothers and sisters as of themselves. They 
try all they can to be peaceful and affectionate. 
If mother has a headache, or father is unwell, 
they move about carefully. They never leave 
the doors open, and always close them as soft- 
ly as they can. They play quietly when in 
the house, and strive to do their share to make 
a happy family. Do you not think such child- 
ren, help bear the burdens of their friends? 
Well, you can be like them. At home, in the 
day-school and Sunday-school, everywhere, 
if you are careful not to disturb and make 
others unhappy, you relieve them of their 
troubles, and make their lives flow on brighter 
and pleasanter. And in this way how much 



54 THE LAW OF CHRIST. 

the smallest child can do. When you have 
tried one day or one week to see how little 
trouble you could give, how much you could 
abstain from that which is unpleasant to others, 
you will find you can help them a great deal. 
Oberlin, the good Pastor, of whom I hope you 
have read, removed from the road every stone 
that he thought might make any wagon jolt or 
any horse stumble. You ought to do the same. 
Remember then, that everything you can take 
away from the path of your friends, that might 
disturb them, is always something done to give 
ease and comfort to their journey through life. 
They can carry their loads more easily, the 
smoother the way is on which they travel. 

II. But not alone by taking care not to be 
troublesome, can you assist others; you can 
also directly do much for them. You can take 
a part of their burden on your shoulders and 
carry it. There is, if we will only look for 
it, almost always some little or great kindness 
we can do for our neighbors. A child can get 
a pail of w^ater, or an armful of wood, for a 
poor woman. A boy will often meet in the 
street another boy or girl carrying home a 
heavy load, and then he can give a helping 



THE LAW OF CHRIST. 55 

hand. Let me tell you two pleasant stories, 
to show you how good neighbors and kind 
Christians should act. I know a farmer, who 
once had his wife and two or three children all 
sick together. To take care of them he was 
obliged to neglect his farm. All his children 
died, but one, and the farmer had no heart or 
time to work. But his corn needed hoeing very 
much. One of his neighbors saw this, and being 
a kind, generous man, he went to some of his 
friends, and proposed to them, after their own 
work was done, to go, and by the bright moon- 
light, hoe the corn of their afflicted neighbor. 
They agreed to do so : and they went and took 
care of the corn-field, and thus perhaps saved 
the grain from being ruined. How sweetly 
they must have slept, after doing a good work 
like that. How pleasant must have been the 
thought, that they had relieved a brother in his 
trouble. 

" The other story is -longer. I shall tell it to 
you because it shows how great good may grow 
out of a little good. A gentleman, one cold 
winter's day, walking the street of a city, saw 
a little girl car-rying a bowl of soup. The bowl 
was heavy for a child, and she was almost 



56 THE LAW OF CHRIST. 

crying. " My little girl," said he, " you have a 
great load ; let me help you along with it." 
She gave him the bowl, with a faint smile, say- 
ing, " It was indeed right heavy and right hot 
too, but if she could get it home before it got 
cold, it would be nice for mother." *' And is 
your mother sick ? " said the gentleman. " Not 
sick," she replied, " but weak and feeble, for 
want of good food, the Doctor says, and so a 
good lady gives me that big bowl of soup every 
day." Thus the gentleman went with the little 
girl, and chatted with her until they came near 
the house. She took the bowl ; and the gen- 
tleman opened the door to her father's shop, 
let her in, and followed her. It was a small, 
close, hot room. There was a man in it, about 
thirty years old, at work upon something which 
he hid as soon as he saw the stranger. The 
gentleman took oif his hat, and said, " I met 
your little girl in the street, and was so much 
pleased with her appearance as to take the lib- 
erty of coming home with her." " What for ? " 
asked the man coldly. " To see if I could do 
anything for you, my friend," replied the gen- 
tleman ; " as from what she said I suppose yon 
are poor." " I do not want your help," answer- 



THE LAW OF CHRIST. 57 

ed the man roughly ; " Who are you that come 
here without being invited." The kind gentle- 
man was not driven away by this treatment. 
He saw the man was unhappy, and so he said 
to him, kindly, " I am one who wishes to do you 
and all men good." The man seemed much' 
moved. After some more conversation, in 
which the man told his visitor that he was an 
engraver, and the gentleman had won his con- 
fidence by friendly words, the man opened a 
door into a back room, where, sitting in a chair, 
with a little girl and boy at her feet, was a pale 
sickly woman, trying to work. It was the en- 
graver's wife. " Ellen," said he, " here is a man 
who says he will try to help us. Shall I tell 
him all ? " The poor woman burst into tears ; 
but recovering herself, sent the children away 
and begged her husband to tell the whole ; and 
then the man told his sad story. " Two years 
ago," said he, " I was laying by something 
every week, and no man worked more honest- 
ly and cheerfully than I. But I took all my 
earnings to a friend of mine, who failed, and 
whose debts I had agreed to pay. I got out of 
spirits, and out of sorts, and, fall before last, 

was taken sick. I had nothing. Ellen was 
6 



58 THE LAW OF CHRIST. 

too weak to sit up, and starvation came close 
to us. At last a charitable man heard of us, 
and helped us awhile. Then I got a little 
wood from the town. The baker, grocer and 
doctor had to trust us. So we survived 
through a miserable winter. When spring 
came I was able to work some. But I was 
troubled with debts, and could not' get relieved 
at all ; and last winter I was sick again, and I 
thought we should all perish. One day a man 
came into the shop, after I had got better, but 
was weak from hunger. "You're poor, a'nt 
you ? " said he. I told him we were. Then 
he bade me go with him. He took me to a 
strange place, where I met some of his compan- 
ions. They proposed to me to engrave a cop- 
perplate for making counterfeit money. They 
offered to pay me well for it. In an evil hour, 
with poverty staring me in the face, I took the 
two hundred dollars they offered me in ad- 
vance, and consented to do what they wanted. 
I was at work at the plate when you came in." 
The poor man stopped. The gentleman took 
him by the hand and spoke kindly to him. " My 
friend," said he, " you must give up this job, 
and get an honest livelihood. I will help you. 



THE LAW OF CHRIST. 59 

You must destroy that plate at once. I will 
see that you have the money to pay back what 
those bad men lent you." The gentleman was 
as good as his word. He procured employ- 
ment for the engraver, and had the happiness 
of saving him from crime, and seeing him an 
industrious man, and his family well provided 
for. 

You see, children, in this story, how much 
good may come from a little act of kindness : 
you see how readiness to assist even a little 
girl opened the way to save a fellow creature 
from the prison and a life of crime. P^erhaps 
you may never be able to do so much, or the 
same sort of thing. But you can do so/Uie- 
thing. You will find opportunities enough to 
help your fellow-creatures, if you look out for 
them. And what can be more delightful than 
to remember, as you grow older and older, 
that you have relieved the heavy burdened of 
some of their cares and sorrows. Every good 
deed of this kind you may do, will be a bright 
and green spot in your memory of the past. 
Try to have as many of them, then, as you 
can. 

III. Once more. You can help bear one 



60 THE LAW OF CHRIST. 

another's burdens by bearing patiently each 
other's infirmities. I will explain to you what 
I mean by this. Some of your companions, 
perhaps, are fretful and passionate. They get 
angry quick, and are not always as good- 
natured as they might be. How should you 
treat them ? When they are cross, is it best 
for you to get cross too? What use would 
there be in that ? Did you ever know a quar- 
rel to do any good ? I suspect you never did. 
For the sake of peace, then, you ought when 
others are angry to be quiet and pleasant, and 
instead of quarreling with or teazing them, try 
to soothe them, and show how foolish and 
wicked they are for not governing their tempers 
better. One evening, just after sundown, I was 
passing through a street, where there was a 
lot of boys, playing. Just as I came near them, 
a larger boy had accidentally hurt one of the 
smaller boys. He did not mean to injure him, 
but the sport was rather rough, and I suppose 
he struck or threw him down harder than he 
intended. The boy that was hurt flew in- 
stantly into a rage, used very bad language, 
and called the other boy all sorts of names. 
Now, thought I, we shall have a fight. That 



THE LAW OF CHRIST. Gl 

great boy, I am afraid, will not bear to be 
so abused by that little fellow's tongue. So I 
walked slowly to see the end of it, and was very 
glad to find myself mistaken. The larger boy 
seemed to understand the angry boy's infirm- 
ity, and to remember what a quick temper 
he had. He seemed to think, too, that because 
his companion chose to be passionate, and un- 
comfortable, and rage like a mad dog, that 
was no reason why he should vex himself. 
So he laughed pleasantly at the ill-tempered 
boy ; and told him he did not mean to hurt 
him — that it was very foolish for him to take 
ofience at such a little matter, and that it was 
not worth his while to use bad language and 
call bad names, for he should not mind him. 
After hearing this, I walked on, for I knew 
there would be no fight. I knew the good- 
natured lad, who could have given his abusive 
playfellow a sound whipping, had learned, at 
least in this one instance, to bear another's 
burden, to pity another's folly, and not to get 
angry because a poor boy, that would not rule 
his temper, had got into an unreasonable pas- 
sion about nothing. And in this way we 
should all try to act. It would save a great 
6=^ 



62 THE LAW OF CHRIST. 

many disputes, and make us live together 
much more peaceably if We would remember 
always that a soft answer turneth away wrath. 
But, perhaps you will say, it is hard to do this ; 
it is so easy to get provoked ; it is so difficult 
to bear insults ; and when we are unwilling to 
quarrel, there are always some to laugh at us 
and call us cowards ; — what shall we do ? I 
answer, you must think of Jesus — think how 
much he endured for your sake, and for the 
sake of all men. When you think of him even 
praying for his enemies, cannot you bear with 
the infirmities of your companions ? Let me 
relate to you a beautiful parable, which, if you 
will remember it, may help you to avoid angry 
feelings and words. 

" A valiant knight, named Hildebrand, was 
grievously insulted by another knight, whose 
name was Bruno. Then was his heart in- 
flamed with rage, and he could not wait till 
morning to take a bloody revenge upon his 
foe. He passed the night, therefore, in sleep- 
less impatience, and at the dawn of morning, 
he girt his sword by his side, and set out for 
the residence of his adversary. 

" But as it was still very early, he stepped 



THE LAW OF CHRIST. 63 

into a chapel by the roadside, and contem- 
plated the pictures which hung upon the wall, 
illumined by the radiance of the dawn. They 
were three in number. The first represented 
the Saviour, arrayed in the gorgeous robe of 
mockery, before Pilate and Herod, and under- 
neath was written: When he teas reviled, he 
reviled not again. The second portrayed the 
scourging of Christ, with this inscription: 
When he suffered^ he threatened not. And the 
third picture was the Crucifixion, with these 
words: Father, forgive them! 

" When the knight had seen these pictures, 
he fell upon his knees and prayed. And as he 
was leaving the chapel, he was met by the 
servants of Bruno, who said to him, ' We 
were going to your castle. Our master desires 
to see you, for he is very ill.* Accordingly he 
went with them. 

*' As Hildebrand entered the apartment 
where the knight lay, Bruno said to him, 'Ah ! 
forgive my misconduct? I have grossly in- 
sulted thee.' 

" Then answered Hildebrand in a friendly 
tone, * My brother, I have nothing to forgive 
thee in my heart.' And they shook hands and 



64 THE LAW OF CHRIST. 

comforted each other, and parted in sincere 
friendship." 

IV. There is one more way, which I will 
mention, of bearing one another's burdens. 
What is the greatest burden of' all — the 
heaviest and most painful? Is it not sin? 
How many are weighed down by their vices 
— how many suffer from their crimes — how 
much of the sadness of the world comes from 
wrong doing. Were it not for sin, earth 
would be almost heaven. You may, then, 
lighten the load that oppresses your fellow- 
creatures, by being good, and helping them to 
be good. And you need not wait till you grow 
up, to do this. For who, in a few years, are to 
be the men and women in the world? Are 
they not you, who now are boys and girls? 
Well, then, if you begin right, and persuade 
others to begin right, by and by there will be 
more virtue on earth, and therefore more 
peace. You can now set a good example. 
You can be careful, and try always to feel 
right, and act right. You can stay in the Sun- 
day-school until old enough to be teachers, and 
induce others to stay. You can warn your 
companions, when they are disposed to be 



THE LAW OF CHRIST. 65 

wicked. Thus can you prepare yourselves to 
be a blessing while you live. And how pleas- 
ant it is to grow up, one of God's messengers, 
to make people better and happier? How 
much more to be desired is this than riches or 
power or pleasure ? You have read about St. 
Paul, who uttered the words *'bear ye one 
another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of 
Christ." You know he was once a rich young 
man, and persecuted the disciples of Jesus. 
Afterwards he became himself a Christian ; — 
and then he gave up all his earthly wealth, 
learned in whatsoever state he was therewith 
to be content, endured shame and suffering 
and went from land to land preaching the 
Gospel, and persuading men to be good and 
love one another. Should you not like to 
imitate liim, rather than imitate the selfish and 
cruel, those who think only of themselves, who 
help nobody and whom nobody loves ? When 
you are on your death-beds, which will be the 
most pleasant, to look back and see that you 
have lived only for yourselves, and done noth- 
ing for your fellow men, or to look back and 
remember, that as you were able, so you 
always endeavored to be kind and generous, 



66 THE LAW OF CHUIST. 

and to help all around you ? I know you will 
say it would be most pleasant to think you 
had, while in the world, been doing good. 
Well, then, try constantly to obey the com- 
mand, " Bear ye one another's burdens ; " try 
constantly to "fulfil the law of Christ;" try 
constantly to love your fellow-men ; to be vir- 
tuous yourselves, and to help others to be 
virtuous too; try constantly to give as little 
trouble to your friends, as you can ; to endure 
patiently the infirmities of your conipanions ; 
to let slip unimproved no opportunity to per- 
form a kind act ; try to do this, and to be like 
Jesus, and you will make life bright with the 
sunshine that shall arise in your own hearts. 
Eemember that we were made to live together 
and love each other, to be brothers and sisters : 
and that the best way to travel through the 
world — the easiest way — is to go hand in 
hand, and heart in heart. 

Jan. 1841. 



LITTLE THINGS -GREAT THINGS. 



" If the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, 
wouldest thou not have done it? " 

If you will look in the Bible, at the fifth 
chapter of the Second Book of Kings, you will 
find there the story of Naaman. You will 
read that he was the captain of the host of the 
King of Sji'ia, and^ great man with his mas- 
ter, because he had been the conqueror of the 
enemies of his country, and a mighty man in 
valor. He had, probably, a splendid palace to 
live in, beautiful gardens to walk in, gold and 
silver, rich jewels and garments, chariots and 
horses, long trains of servants, the confidence 
of the king, in short, all the good things of earth 
his heart could desire ; but — Naaman was a 
lejoer ! Do you know what that means? It 
means that he was afflicted with a terrible dis- 
ease, that appears on the skin, and loosens the 
joints, and afiects the whole body, called the 
leprosy. This is a disease to which people in 
the hot countries of the East are exposed. 



68 LITTLE THINGS. 

You will find it often mentioned in the Bible ; 
and you recollect, perhaps, the beautiful ac- 
count in the New Testament, of the man who 
was afihcted with it, and whom Jesus so 
kindly touched and cured. The leprosy was a 
painful and loathsome disease. Yet Naaman, 
the great hero, the man of power and wealth, 
and of much reputation, was a leper! He 
was a man, and he could not escape the 
common lot of man. Sickness, and sorrow, 
and death, come to all ; to the rich as well as 
to the poor ; to the honorable as well as to the 
neglected. No money can buy freedom from 
these ; no guards can keep them off; no walls 
can be built so thick that they cannot enter. 
All — all are exposed to sufferings of body and 
sufferings of mind; all — all must die. The 
thought of this should check feelings of vanity 
and pride ; make us feel that we are brethren, 
and teach us to love and treat each other as 
brethren. 

As I said, notwithstanding his greatness and 
wealth, Naaman was a poor, miserable leper ; 
and probably would have been very willing to 
give up all his greatness and wealth, to be 
relieved of his pains; to be cured of his 



GREAT THINGS. G9 

dreadful malady. But there was no physician 
in Syria who could help him. It happened, 
however, that there was a little Jewish girl, a 
captive, who waited on Naaman*s wife, who 
remembered that there was in her own land 
of Israel, a prophet, a holy man, who could 
do wonderful things. So this little girl said, 
" Would God my lord were with the pit)phet 
that is in Samaria, for he would recover him of 
his leprosy.'' When the king heard of this, he 
determined that his great and favorite captain 
should go to the country of the prophet and be 
healed. Naaman went on his journey, carry- 
ing gold, and silver, and beautiful garments, as 
presents, — and also a letter from the King of 
Syria to the King of Israel. AVhen he came 
to the land of Israel, he delivered the letter. 
The King was greatly alarmed. He knew he 
could not cure the leprosy ; and therefore he 
was afraid the King of Syria only sought for a 
pretence to quarrel with him. But when 
Elisha heard of the matter, and the distress of 
the King, he asked to have Naaman sent to 
him, saying, " Let him now come unto me, and 
he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel." 
" So Naaman came with his horses and his 
7 



70 LITTLE THINGS. 

chariot, and stood at the door of Elisha." And 
Elisha sent to him, and told him to go and 
wash in the river Jordan seven times, and he 
should be clean of his leprosy. At this mes- 
sage the great captain was very angry. He 
thought it was an insult, now that he had come 
so far, to bid him do so simple a thing as bathe 
in the river Jordan. He supposed that Elisha 
would come out to him ; treat him with great 
respect; call on the name of the Lord his God; 
put his hand over the place that was diseased, 
and so cure him. He said the rivers of 
Damascus, in Syria, were better than all the 
waters of Israel : and he could wash in them. 
" So he turned and went away in a rage." 

But his servants were wiser than their 
proud and haughty master. They saw he was 
acting very foolishly, not to try at least so 
simple a remedy ; and they came near and 
said : " My father, if the prophet had bid thee 
do some great thing, wouldest thou not have 
done it? How much rather, then, when he 
saith to thee, 'wash, and be clean?'" Then 
he was persuaded, and went and dipped him- 
self seven times in Jordan: and his flesh 



GREAT THINGS. . 71 

came again like unto the flesh of a httle child, 
and he was clean. 

I have told you this story of Naaman, child- 
ren, because all of us are so apt to be like him. 
Many, whilst they are ready to do great works 
— works that make a noise, attract the notice 
of people, and gain their applause, are unwil- 
ling to do little things ; small acts of kindness, 
every-day duties. It is so with grown up 
persons ; it is so too with young persons. If 
all the boys, who read this, were collected 
together in one place, and I should propose to 
them to get up a grand fishing party — to go 
out on the water some fine day, in a fine large 
boat, and catch a fine lot of fish, and bring 
them home, and give a good dinner to all the 
poor people they know — do you not think 
every one would be ready to take part in such 
a famous scheme ? And do you not think that 
some boys might possibly be found among the 
foremost and the most earnest, all alive to carry 
out the charming plan, who would be unwill- 
ing, quietly and alone to get a pail of water 
for some poor neighbor, or to leave their play 
to go on some errand, or to stay at home and 
amuse their smaller brothers, so as to help 



72 LITTLE THINGS, 

their mothers, and let them rest ; or perform, 
with a ready step and cheerful smile, some 
other little thing. 

Or take another case. Suppose some kind- 
hearted farmer should say to a school of boys, 
that they might, on a fine day, in winter, go 
into his forest, and cut as much wood as they 
could in one day, and give it to the destitute. 
And suppose their master should advise them 
to accept the offer ; borrow three or four sleds 
and three or four yoke of oxen, and take their 
axes, and go and have a' fine time of it. 
Would not all the boys jump to execute such 
a plan ? Would they not think it " capital ? " 
And might there not be some of those most 
ready to engage in such a grand expedition, 
who would be very unwilling to lay aside 
their story-books, or quit their sports, or leave 
their warm seat by the fire-side, to go and get 
one armful of wood ? Do you not think there 
would be some all alive for the great thing, 
who would not be so very kind and accom- 
modating in little things ? 

Once more. Not long since, two or three 
little girls suggested to their playmates the 
idea of having a Fair, to get some money for a 



GREAT THINGS. 73 

poor sick young man, who has been confined 
to his bed for ten years with the rheumatism ; 
and about whose patience and fortitude, at 
some other time, I should be glad to tell you. 
They all thought it would be a grand thing, 
and they set about it in good earnest; and 
they were very successful. They got for the 
sufferer, I believe, more than fifty dollars. Now 
I shall not say one word against this Fair. I 
think the little girls who first thought of it, and 
their companions who helped them carry their 
thought into practice, deserve praise for their 
good feelings, their diligence, and persever- 
ance ; it was, for them, a great thing. But do 
you not think there may possibly have been 
some little girls, willing — very willing, to do 
their share in this great thing, who are not 
quite so ready to do little things ? Might there 
not have been some among them who worked 
hard for the Fair, who do not love to work hard 
for their mother, or to lead a httle brother to 
school, or make a bag for his books, instead of 
going to play ; who do not bear disappointments 
patiently, or try to avoid being fretful and trou- 
blesome ; who, in a word, do not try to be good 
and benevolent in small matters, that do not 



. 74 LITTLE THINGS. 

make quite so much noise, and are not quite 
so interesting as a grand Fair ? I am afraid 
som'e such little girl might be found, because I 
know how it is both with children and grown 
up people ; they are often more ready to do 
great things, than they are to do little things. 
I suppose if it were possible to get to heaven, 
to be good, and religious, by doing some one 
great and glorious deed, almost everybody would 
be ready to try. 

But, children, this is not possible. Goodness 
consists in doing many little good things, rather 
than in doing a few great good things. I wish 
to fix this in your mind. I wish to teach you, 
if I can, the importance of little things — to 
show you that they are, in truth, great things. 

I. If you will observe and think, you will 
find many, perhaps I might safely say most of 
the best and noblest structures and creations, 
are produced gradually, by slow and steady 
growth, little by little. Look at that famous 
old oak. What a stout and strong trunk it has ; 
almost as firm as an iron column. See its 
large and knotted branches. Kemember how 
in summer it is crowded, every twig of it, 
with green leaves ; and what a broad and re- 



GREAT THINGS. /O 

freshing shadow it casts around. Is it not no- 
ble — so strong and kisty ? Well, that oak did 
not leap out of the ground at once and full- 
grown, did it? It was once a little acorn, 
which put out its roots to drink in every drop 
of water, and which received gladly every 
warm ray of the sun. It has been growing 
very diligently every season, gaining somewhat 
in size and height every day for a hundred 
years, perhaps. Just so must it be with you, if 
you would be wise and good. You cannot be 
so in a moment, by one effort ; you cannot jump 
tip to the stature of virtuous men and women, 
by a single leap. You must groiv^ and grow, 
by careful attention to httle things. 

Again. Let us imagine ourselves in some 
magnificent temple, with its great arched dome, 
its gigantic pillars, its marble floor, and its rich 
carvings. It was not built in a day, was it ? 
It was not made, by one exertion, the mighty 
edifice you now see it? No. The man who 
planned it, marked out in his own mind first, 
and then, perhaps, on paper, every part of it. 
The men who built it, took care to place every 
stone, even the smallest — more, every trowel 
full of mortar, in the right place; and so it 



76 LITTLE THINGS. 

rose up, slowly, until it became at last a won- 
derful edifice. Just so you must build your- 
selves up, by daily labor; and not by great 
deeds alone, but also by little deeds. Great 
deeds can be performed only once in a while ; 
little deeds can be performed at all times and 
at every moment. I might point you to other 
examples of what I mean. The beautiful sta- 
tue — the statue of Washington, for instance, 
placed in the Capitol, — of which you may 
have heard, was not hewn out of the rough 
block of stone by a few heavy blows ; but it 
was made life-like, as it is, by millions upon 
millions of delicate strokes with the chisel — 
by the careful and patient finishing of each 
part, however humble. Perhaps to make the 
finger nail was a day's work; and an eye, may 
have taken a whole week. So, too, with the 
paintings at which the world wonders. The 
artist did not dash them off with a few flourish- 
es of his brush, or by putting on a few large 
masses of color ; but he produced his almost 
perfect work by long and toilsome practice — 
by close attention even to the smallest things. 
Thus it is, children, the noblest fabrics are cre- 
ated gradually, and by the finishing of every 



GREAT THINGS. 77 

niiuute part. The same is true with character. 
If you desire to have strong minds and good 
hearts, you must get them — not by doing great 
things alone, but by doing many Httle things, 
and doing them luelL 

II. As much virtue may be shown in little 
things, as great things. It is not, you know, 
the outward act, but the inward motive, the 
purpose, the feeling, the intention of the heart, 
that makes us good ; and that motive, purpose, 
feeling, intention, may be as true and right 
when it prompts us to do small deeds of love, 
as when it prompts us to do great and splendid 
works. Nay, more : — I think we can be more 
sure that we are good, when doing little things 
in secret, as it were, than when doing greater 
things, where the world sees us : for it may be 
vanity, desire of praise, and not real benevo- 
lence that induces us to perform the latter, 
while ■ the former are most likely to proceed 
from real kindness of heart. At any rate — we 
can be as good inside, when practising every- 
day virtues, as when we go abroad to take part 
in some famous exploit. Jesus teaches us this. 
He teaches us that virtue is in the motive and 
not in the act — in what the heart feels, not in 



78 LITTLE THINGS. 

what the hand does. All the Jews, when they 
went up to Jerusalem, put money into the treas- 
ury, to support the worship of the temple. One 
day, you remember, Jesus stood in that part of 
the temple where the treasury was. He saw 
many go up and drop in their contributions. 
The lordly pharisees, with their flowing gar- 
ments — the rich and proud, with their splen- 
did dresses — came and cast in silver and 
gold. But Jesus said nothing. At length a 
poor widow tottered up, and dropped in tivo 
mites. Then the Saviour turned to his disci- 
ples, and said, " Of a truth I say unto you, that 
this poor widow hath cast in more than they 
all. For all they did cast in of their abundance, 
but she of her want did cast in all that she had, 
even all her living." The widow's gift was 
very small — only tivo mites : but then it came 
from a sincere heart — from a bosom rich in 
goodness — and so it was the largest gift of 
all. I read a story not long since which 
teaches the same truth that Jesus taught when 
he commended the widow. Somebody sent 
a poor old blind soldier one of the Bibles print- 
ed for the blind. The letters in these Bibles, 
you know, are raised, and the blind read by 



GREAT THINGS. 79 

feeling out their shape. This old soldier's 
fingers were stiff, the skin on the ends of them 
was hard, and he could not feel very quick 
or easily: and what do you think he did to 
remedy the difficulty ? He put blisters on the 
ends of his fingers to make them r)iore tender. 
That was a little thing to do — and it seems to 
you, perhaps, very funny, and you laugh at it. 
But think how much it says. Think how much 
it tells us of the blind old soldier's heart Think 
how it shows us Vvdiat a strong and good desire 
he had to read about our Father in Heaven^ 
and Jesus Christ. Think of this, and the old 
soldier, blistering his fingers, becomes — does 
he not? a great man. God, the Bible tells us, 
looks upon the heart. It is not what we do, 
so much as hoiv we do it, and ivhy we do it, 
that HE notices. We may serve God, there- 
fore, and be good in little things as well as in 
great things: nay, we may serve God better; 
because, as I said, just now, we can do great 
things only occasionally, but little things we 
can do all the time. 

III. Little things do as much towards mak- 
ing people happy as great things, — perhaps I 
might truly say they do more. If you should 



80 LITTLE THINGS. 

go into a cotton factory, yoii would be very 
much mistaken if you thought the great wheels 
alone were necessary to make the fine goods. 
The smallest wheels, even some parts of the 
machinery you might hardly notice at all, have 
a large share in the spinning of the threads 
and in the weaving of the cloth. Just so it is 
in life. Think what makes the comfort of a 
family. Is it a splendid act done once in a 
month or a year ? Is it not rather humble acts 
of kindness and love done every hour and 
every moment. Constant cheerfulness, a 
readiness always to save others trouble, a dis- 
position to accommodate, a quiet manner, a 
willingness to give up your own wishes, when 
by so doing you can help your friends, — these 
are what some would call little things, but 
how much they add to the brightness of the 
fire-side, how much they do to make home the 
loveliest spot on earth. Look into a school. 
Is it now and then a noble deed ; a single per- 
fect recitation ; is it obedience only in great 
matters, which makes it a peaceful school ? 
No, you will say. It is carefulness to do right, 
and be obedient in many small affairs. A 
clock does not keep the best time ivheii once in 



LITTLE THINGS. 81 

a ivhile the weights give a hard pull, the pen- 
dulum jumps from one side to the other with a 
jerk, the bell strikes fast and loud. It keeps 
the best time when every part of it works 
carefully, and steadily, and constantly; when 
each wheel and tooth and spring is industrious 
and ever ready to perform its duty, whether 
seen by everybody, like the hands on the dial, 
or heard by everybody, like the hammer on the 
bell, — or whether concealed in the case, and 
oiily known as invisible contributors to the 
correct behavior of the whole clock. It is the 
same among men and women and children. 
Somebody says *' trifles make the sum of 
human things ; " so they do : and to have 
human things true and beautiful and harmoni- 
ous we must be very careful about trifles. 
How much pain one unkind word may cause. 
How much trouble a single unpleasant habit 
may give. How much unhappiness neghgence 
about small matters may produce. On the 
other hand, consider how, as the dihgent ants 
by carrying one grain at a time can build what 
to them is a mountain, so you, by filling every 
minute with goodness, by giving to every little 
act the brightness of love and truth, may in 



82 GREAT THINGS. 

the course of time add more than tongue can 
tell to the pleasure and peace of all around 
you. " Some munificent princes, whenever 
they appear amongst their people, cause small 
coins to be scattered far and wide to excite the 
grateful feelings of the multitude and make 
the royal presence welcome. Every man with 
a benevolent heart and courteous manners, 
every man that takes pains to be good and 
just and kind, even in the commonest and 
smallest affairs of life, elevates himself into 
more than a prince : he scatters pleasure by 
his looks, his voice and his deeds, wherever 
he goes ; and his treasure is inexhaustible .'' 

IV. Jesus taught the value of little things. 
I have told you already what he said about 
the widow's mites. In his whole life, too, you 
can see how much regard he had for the hum- 
ble, the poor and those whom the proud and 
rich were apt to despise. You remember, per- 
haps, what he said about idle words, and the 
gathering up of the fragments, that nothing be 
lost. Indeed the Saviour everywhere teaches 
us that true greatness does not consist in 
splendid deeds, which make the world stare 
and wonder, but that the humblest are some- 



LITTLE THINGS. 83 

times the greatest. A large world is not ne- 
cessary for us in order that we may be Chris- 
tians. The little world of home, the little 
world of childhood, is big enough, if rightly 
used. Think if you can remember any precept 
of Jesus that may not be obeyed every day, 
and in what are called trifling matters. Can- 
hot boys and girls be kind and forgiving, gen- 
tle and affectionate, on the play-ground ? Can 
they not practise self-denial, and self-control, 
every time they come to the breakfast, dinner 
or supper table ? You will not grow good very 
fast if you wait for great occasions to perform 
famous deeds. The true way is to listen to 
the instructions of the Saviour, which you 
may apply to the duties, no matter how hum- 
ble, of each passing moment, and to copy the 
Saviour's example, who alivays " went about 
doing good." There are thousands of people ^ 
in the world, not known beyond their neighbor- 
hood, who toil on year after year in obscurity, 
and never have the opportunity or the means 
to perform works that excite the admiration of 
the multitude. But the poorest and humblest, 
amongst these thousands, who is faithful in 
little things, from a right motive and a sense 



84 GREAT THINGS. 

of duty, is a true disciple of Christ, for he says, 
*'that whosoever gives a cup of cold water 
only, in his name, shall not lose his reward ; 
and that whosoever does an act of kindness to 
the least among his brethren, does it unto 
him." 

V. Finally, children, let me say it with 
reverence, but still say it, because it is true, 
God attends to what seem to us little things, 
as carefully, and with as much love, as he at- 
tends to what seem to us great things. He 
listens to the praises of angels ; but He also 
hears the sigh and the prayer of the humblest 
of men. He guides the stars in their courses ; 
but He also shapes the dew-drops. He rides 
on the whirlwind and directs the storm ; but 
He also watches the fall of the sparrow. He 
fills the sun with light; but He also unfolds 
the lowly violet. Every leaf is made as per- 
fectly as every world. The insect is fed as 
regularly as the greatest and best of men. 
Each blade of grass is visited with rain and 
warmth as surely as each noble elm. Our 
Father's ever-present love overlooks no thing 
and no creature He has made. He does not 
forget the flower any more than He forgets 



LITTLE THINGS. 85 

the seraph. Is not this a beautiful truth ? 
Does it not teach you a beautiful lesson ? If 
God, who is Almighty and from everlasting to 
everlasting the same Infinite Being, — if He 
visits with his benevolence, feeds out of his 
bounty, surrounds with his protection, all parts 
and all beings in His creation, is it right for 
you to despise or neglect little things ? 

I think, children, I have shown you that 
little things are great things, and as deserving 
of attention as great things. Let me here add, 
that as Naaman, by what seemed to him a 
small act, cared himself of a terrible disease, 
so you by small acts may get rid of a leprosy, 
that, unless you are careful, will trouble you 
and make you unhappy, — I mean the leprosy 
of sin. Vices are to be escaped by filling the 
soul with virtues. Bad habits are to be avoid- . 
ed by forming good habits; and good habits 
are formed not all at once, but by degrees, by 
being careful about trifles, by trying to do 
everything in the right way and from right 
motives. Heaven is to be reached by steady 
progress in goodness, not by one endeavor or a 
few great endeavors. Christian character, that 

character which Jesus tells us will alone 

8# 



86 LITTLE THINGS, 

obtain peace and the favor of God, is to be 
acquired, by most people, by the performance 
of humble duties, and in private life ; because 
only a few can be very great among men, and 
attract the gaze of the v^orld. With you, 
children, especially is it true, that you are to 
be like the Saviour, by obeying his precepts in 
little things ; for, whilst you are young, famous 
exploits are not in your power. But a child 
may be as much of a Christian,yor a child, as a 
man can be for a man. Sometimes we meet 
with those in the morning of life who are very 
lovely, and sometimes wilh those who go early 
to the grave, beautiful in their virtue. A few 
days since, I stood by the bedside of one whose 
body has since been given to the dust, and 
whose spirit has since returned to God; one 
whom some of you, who will read this, knew 
and loved. She was sick for months. She 
knew, many weeks before she breathed her 
last, that she was to die. She had a mother, 
a little brother, sisters, and a large circle of 
friends, who were very dear to her. Earth was 
pleasant and bright to her, and she enjoyed 
life as much as any of you enjoy it. But she 
was a good girl, a humble, childlike Christian, 



GREAT THINGS. 87 

and when she felt it was her Father's will that 
she should go hence, she did not murmur or 
complain. She was patient and peaceful to 
the last. She had never done, never had the 
opportunity of doing, great things ; but, I 
beheve, she always tried to be faithful in little 
things; and she was faithful to the last, — 
resigned, affectionate, and disinterested. She 
was very fond of the Sunday-school. When 
asked, by a friend, if she had any message 
to send the scholars, she said, '' Yes. Give 
them my love, and tell them to seek the 
Saviour before it is too late." How can I 
better close this lesson than by asking all 
children who read it to hear and obey this 
message of the dying girl ; by advising them, 
as she did, to seek the Saviour ; to seek him 
by loving truth and goodness, by striving to 
imitate his example, by endeavoring to acquire 
his spirit of love and kindness, by being 
thoughtful and watchful, so as to keep his 
precepts in little things ; that thus - he may 
hereafter say to each one of you, as the man 
in the parable said to the servant who had 
made a right use of the talents entrusted to 
his keeping ; " Well done, good and faithful 



Ob LITTLE THINGS. 

servant ; thou hast been faithful over a few 
things, I will make thee ruler over many- 
things ; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." 

Jan. 1842, 



THE TRUE SPIRIT. 



" And he turned and rebuked them, and said : ye 
know not wliat manner of spirit ye are of." 

Look, children, upon a map of Palestine, as 
it was when Jesus was on earth, and you will 
see that it contained three divisions, or provin- 
ces, namely : Gallilee on the North — Samaria 
in the middle — and Judea at the South. Be- 
tween the inhabitants of Samaria and Judea 
there had existed, for centuries, such hatred 
that they had no dealings together, and they 
always treated each other with enmity and 
contempt. It would take more room than I 
have to spare, to tell you all the causes of their 
quarrel, and to point out to you all the places 
in the Bible where it is mentioned. It is 
enough for you to understand that no friendly 
feelings were to be found in the bosoms of the 
Jews towards the Samaritans, and that the Sa- 
maritans, on their side, had no aifection for the 
Jews. If you will remember this sad fact, you 
will be able to understand the incident in the 



90 THE TRUE SPIRIT. 

life of Jesus to which I wish to refer. Jesus 
had been teaching in Gallilee. The time drew 
nigh when he was to be seized and put to 
death, and he set out with his disciples to go 
to Jerusalem. The shortest way was through 
Samaria. As they came near to a certain vil- 
lage, the inhabitants would not receive them, 
*' because his face was as though he would go 
to Jerusalem.'^ James and John, who were 
not yet free from Jewish prejudices, were in- 
dignant at the neglect their master received. 
They remembered how Ehjah, a great prophet, 
once punished the Samaritans,^ — and think- 
ing his example would be an excuse for them, 
they said ; " Lord, wilt thou that we command 
fire to come down from heaven, and consume 
them, even as Elias did ? " But Jesus saw in- 
to their hearts — understood their real motives : 
and "he turned and rebuked them, and said; 
*' Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of" 
' You think you wish to punish these people for 
their treatment of me. You are mistaken. It 
is rather a desire to gratify your revenge, that 
excites you. If you knew me — if you had 
true sympathy with me, your feelings would 

^ SeeSKings, i. 5— 13. 



1 



THE TRUE SPIRIT. 91 

be very different. You would be mild and pa- 
tient and forgiving ; for " the Son of Man is not 
come to destroy men's lives, but to save tliem." 
It is not my errand to encourage anger, even 
towards the wicked : but to be gentle, and try 
to win men to goodness by words and deeds of 
love. My spirit — that spirit you should strive 
to cherish — is a spirit of kindness — a spirit 
of benevolence — a spirit of forbearance — a 
spirit that is not easily provoked.' This was 
the lesson Jesus taught his disciples — this is 
the lesson Jesus wishes to teach you. 

Children, and grown up people too — some- 
times think and act quite differently from 
Jesus. Ask them who is the man of the most 
spirit, . of the best spirit, and many of them 
will not say he who governs his temper well, 
he who is slow to wrath, he who is ready to 
forgive insults. No, they will most likely say 
he who is quick to resent injuries, he who 
is willing to fight rather than yield anything to 
his enemy, he who gives blow for blow, and 
hard words for hard words. Such a man, in 
their opinion, is the greatest and bravest man; 
the man of courage and of a fine spirit. But, 
if we have such notions, we are in an error : 



92 THE TRUE SPIRIT. 

we know not what manner of spirit is right, 
what manner of spirit we ought to indulge. 
It may be hard — it is hard to imitate Jesus in 
this matter; but that boy or that girl, that 
man or that woman, is the noblest and greatest 
who tries to imitate him — who tries to man- 
ifest a temper such as he manifested. And I 
will tell you why. 

I. In most cases, you know, it is easier to 
indulge anger than to restrain it. Now I 
suppose you will agree, that he who accom- 
plishes the most difficult work shows the 
most power and strength, that he who per- 
forms the most difhcult duty is the most 
virtuous. The driver who "holds in," and 
guides and stops the horse that wishes to run 
away with him, is a better and stronger driver, 
is he not? — than the driver who lets him go 
just where he pleases, and just as fast as he 
pleases. It would be a laborious undertaking 
to dam up the cataract that is furiously rushing 
down the mountain side, but it requires no 
force to allow it to pursue its swift and foaming 
course. Just so is it with passion. If you 
are injured, you are not obliged, in most 
cases, to try to be indignant — to try to feel 



THE TRUE SriRlT. 93 

resentment. You are on fire instantly. Be- 
fore you have time to think about it, angry 
emotions burn in your bosom. The moment 
we receive an injury or an insult, how quickly 
we are offended. Instantly the eye flashes, 
the cheek is flushed, the hand clenches itself. 
Instantly a desire for retaliation and revenge 
rages within us ; and it is not, at the moment, 
hard to gratify that desire. But it is hard — 
sometimes very hard indeed, to check that 
desire, to give a soft answer, and to offer the 
open hand, when the bitter word is springing 
to the lips, and the arm is flying up to deal a 
blow. Thus you know, if you have ever been 
angry, how easy it is to express vindictive 
feelings, an^ how much self-control it requires 
to prevent them from bursting out. Now who 
shows the true spirit — he who takes the 
course that is easiest, or he who takes the 
course that is hardest ? That is the question. 
Think, before you answer it. Who is the best 
man, lie that puts no restraint upon his temper, 
or he that governs his temper ; he that acts in 
a way that demands no exertion, or he that 
acts in a way that demands a great deal of ex- 
ertion ? 

9 



94 THE TRUE SPIPaT. 

Washington, although he obtained almost 
perfect self-command, was naturally very pas- 
sionate. When a young man, only twenty-two 
years old, he was major in a Virginia regiment, 
then stationed at Alexandria. One day he had 
a dispute with a gentleman by the name of 
Payne. The dispute grew very warm, till at 
length Washington said something very offen- 
sive. Mr, Payne gave him a blow which 
knocked him down, and for a time stunned 
him. The report of the quarrel soon reached 
the ears of the soldiers, who, supposing their 
beloved officer had been murdered, seized their 
arms, and were going to avenge his death at 
once, when Washington, having recovered, met 
therri, thanked them for their attachment to 
him, but persuaded them to return peaceably 
to their barracks. As it was the custom then 
— and I am sorry to say, as it still is the cus- 
tom in some places — for gentlemen, as they 
call themselves, (though they are certainly not 
gentle men,) to settle their disputes by fighting 
a duel, Mr. Payne expected, as a matter of 
course, to receive a challenge from Washing- 
ton. He was not surprised, therefore, when, on 
the next morning a note was dehvered to him 



THE TRUE SPIRIT. 95 

from Major Washington, asking for a meeting 
at the tavern. He went as requested. Bnt 
what was his surprise when he entered the 
room, to see Washington advance towards him, 
not with a pair of pistols, but with an open 
hand and a pleasant smile, and to hear him 
say: — "Mr. Payne, I believe I was Avrong 
yesterday : you have already had some satis- 
faction, and if you deem that sufficient, here is 
my hand : let us be friends." Was it easy, 
think you, for a man of strong passions to act 
thus, to confess his mistake and make an 
apology for it ? Was not Washington a greater 
man, for this self-control he exerted, than he 
would have been if he had returned the blow 
by fighting a duel, and perhaps adding to his 
fault, of speaking hasty words, the crime of 
murder ? 

But this is a story of a great man who enjoy- 
ed many advantages to make liim wise and 
good. I will tell you another of a poor negro 
slave. When quite young he was stolen from 
Africa, and brought to one of the West-India 
Islands, and there sold. He fell into the hands 
of a kind master. He was taught to read. He 
learned of the missionary about Jesus : and he 



96 THE TRUE SPIRIT. 

tried to be a Christian ; and he was, indeed, as 
you will soon see, a much better Christian than 
thousands who would, perhaps, have looked 
upon him with, contempt, and smiled at the 
idea of his being a great man. But in the sight 
of God he was a greater man than many of 
those who are called great. His master want- 
ed some more slaves, and he took this trust- 
worthy negro with him to the market-place, 
where they were sold, to pick them out, telling 
him to select those who were young and health- 
ful and strong. Jim — for so we will call him 
— did as he was told. He picked out several, 
just such men as were needed. But presently 
he saw a miserable, infirm and weak old negro- 
He seized his arm and begged his master to 
buy him ; saying, " I will take care of him." 
The master was astonished. " Why, Jim, what 
do you want that old fellow for ? Is he any 
relation or friend of yours ? " " No, master," 
replied Jim. " Well, then, why are you anxious 
to have me take him ? who is he ? " " He is 
my enemy, master. He stole me from my home 
in Africa, and sold me to the white man. Jesus 
Christ commands me to *love my enemies,' 
and to do good to them who have injured me, 



THE TRUE SPIRIT. 97 

and tliat is the reason why I ask you to buy 
this old man, and let me keep him in my hut 
and take care of him." The master complied 
with Jim's wishes : and Jim took his old enemy 
— the man who had deprived him of his lib- 
erty — done him the greatest harm one man 
can do another — home to his own hut, and 
nursed him and provided for him, as if he had 
been his father, until he died. 

Now if there is more merit in doing that 
which is hard, than there is in doing that which 
is easy, was not this slave a hero ? Is it not 
better to imitate him, than to imitate those who 
are quick to gratify revenge ? Is it not better 
to pity and pardon those who offend you, than 
to call down fire from heaven upon them, or 
treat them as foes ? 

II. Another reason why you should try to 
cherish the spirit of kindness and love, is, that 
the opposite spuit- — the spirit of revenge and 
anger, always does harm. The indulgence of 
a bad temper destroys a great deal that is 
beautiful and good, and causes much unhap- 
ness, and its effects on the very appearance of 
the person who is guilty of it, show how very 

Avrong is his conduct. The face of an angry 

9# 



98 THE TRUE SPIRIT. 

man tells you, plainer than words could tell 
you, how much misery there is in his bosom, 
— what a storm is sweeping over his soul. 
You see that pleasant looking boy on the play 
ground. You observe the light of joy in his 
eye, the bright smile around his mouth; you 
hear the ring of his merry laugh. He is worth 
looking at — is he not? so free is he from 
trouble, so gladsome and so full of life. But 
what a change ! Can it be the same lad ? A 
companion has injured or insulted or struck 
him ; and now gaze upon him_, if you can gaze 
upon such a madman. See what rage has 
done. How pale, or perhaps, how burning red 
he is : how his eyes flash : how his teeth are 
set : how his fists are clenched : how bitter 
and indignant are his words : how he seems 
like a crazy person, who has lost all control 
over himself, who knows not and cares not 
what he does, if he can only have his revenge, 
only hurt the lad who has hurt him. Judging 
from his appearance should you think he was 
in a state to be envied ? Should you pick him 
out as a specimen of a happy child ? Again, 
look at that little girl who is offended, because 
she is not permitted to do something she wish- 



THE TRUE SPIRIT. 99 

es to do, or because one of her playmates has 
said or done something unkind. She is cross 
and sulky. She pouts, and will not speak to 
any one. She is obstinate and unwilling to be 
accommodating. She sits in the corner very 
much " out of sorts." Do you like her looks ? 
Does she seem to you contented and comfort- 
able ? Would you be willing to feel always just 
as she feels now? Oh no. There is no 
pleasure or peace when the wrong spirit has 
possession of the heart. You never saw any 
one who was happy whilst in a passion. 

Neither does any one who is in a passion 
make others happy. Wherever anger comes, 
it is a disturber : it makes the loveliest places 
ugly. Follow its path and you will find that 
what I say is true. Wherever you meet it, 
you will meet it as an evil and bitter spirit, 
doing harm to all it can reach. The fii'e burns 
briskly on the clean hearth, and casts its light 
on a circle of cheerful faces. All are gentle 
and kind in that snug parlor — words are affec- 
tionate, and looks are afiectionate, and quiet 
joy, as it were, runs with the blood through 
the veins of all. It is a happy scene. But 
ah ! now the room appears to grow cold - — the 



100 THE TRUE SPIRIT. 

fire appears suddenly to become dull. Gloom 
and sadness fall on each countenance. Harsh 
sounds are heard. Dark looks are given and 
returned. What has produced tliis change? 
The bad spuit of mdignation and hate has 
come a most unwelcome visiter: and where 
that spu'it is, I repeat, nothing bright and bliss- 
ful will stay. 

A sweet little village is that — as we see it 
from this mountain top — lying in the smihng 
valley. How like a silver thread, in cloth of 
velvet, the river runs through the meadows. 
How very white, in the sunshine, are the 
neat houses and the church, surrounded with 
trees, lifting its spire towards heaven. How 
quietly the sheep graze in the green pastures, 
and the cattle feed on the hills. How content- 
ed are the laborers at work m the rich fields. 
How full of innocent frohc are those cliildren 
rushing out of school: we can ahnost hear 
their shouts of laughter. Is it not a beautiful 
picture ? Does it not seem to be the very 
home of peace, and all baptized in the light of 
God's love? But, ah! what does that mean? 
At each end of the valley a great cloud of dust 
arises. Hark ? Do you not hear the sound of the 



THE TRUE SPIRIT. 101 

loud trumpet, and the roll of the drum, and the 
notes of the sluill fife ? Two hostile aniiies are 
coming from opposite dhections, and they meet 
in the village. The battle begins. The can- 
nons roar — the swords clash — the wounded 
slniek for agony — the houses are on &e — 
the fields are trampled do war by the soldiers on 
foot and on horseback, and the whole valley is 
covered with smoke. One of the armies has 
defeated the other, and is pursuing it as it 
retreats. Both are gone. The smoke has 
rolled away. Where is that lovely village? 
where those green fields ? where those happy 
people? Bmiimg niins, the dead and the 
dymg, the houseless, are there. The crops are 
destroyed, the grain is crushed into the mud, 
the cattle are driven away ; women and child- 
ren have lost their homes ; even the church is 
only a heap of blackened timbers I The valley 
is a valley of desolation and death. What has 
made it so ? The anger, the revenge of men, 
the destroying spirit of war. So is it always, 
childi'en. Wrath, the desire for vengeance, 
that sphit wiiich Jesus rebuked in James and 
John, makes individuals unhappy, destroys the 
peace of families, spills the blood of nations, 



102 THE TRUE SPIRIT. 

and does no good. Ought you then to allow 
the least particle of such a spirit to dwell in 
your bosoms ? 

III. But kindness, patience, and readiness to 
forgive — the spirit which Jesus taught — this 
is always an angel of mercy, this always pro- 
duces blessed effects. There is nothing so 
strong, nothing, that in the end, can do so 
much good in the world, as love. As the gen- 
tle showers and soft breezes of spring open 
the hard earth which the cold storms of winter 
have frozen up, and cover it with verdure and 
flowers, so affection makes the roughest places 
in life cheerful and beautiful. As the rigid 
ice melts under the influence of the warm 
sunshine, so stern and obstinate natures yield 
to the soothing tone of persuasive words of 
kindness. Many who resolve to bear, and 
who do bear, without flinching, severity and 
punishment, who are only made more stubborn 
by harsh treatment, become docile as little 
children when approached by sincere compas- 
sign, and a tender desire to do them good. I 
might say many things to prove this remark to 
be true ; but, as I suppose you love to read 



THE TRUE SPIRIT. 103 

stories, I will give you two or three examples 
of the power of the *' true spirits 

I have already told you in this book — in 
the lesson on the " Song of the Angels " — 
about Elizabeth Fry, the benevolent Quaker 
lady, who has done so much for the wretched 
women in the Newgate prison. Now, so great 
has been the success of Mrs. Fry, and so ex- 
tensive the fame of her good work, that even 
a crowned monarch has been ready to ac- 
knowledge her merit and show an interest in 
her Christian enterprise. About two years 
ago the king of Prussia visited England, to 
attend the baptism of the baby Prince of 
Wales. He inquired, as among the first per- 
sons he wished to see, for Elizabeth Fry. He 
made an arrangement to visit Newgate with 
her : and one morning the king and the Qua- 
ker lady went in the same carriage to the 
prison, and entered it arm in arm, together. 
Mrs. Fry called the prisoners around her — 
read a passage from the Bible, and then they 
all knelt in prayer : the king and his attend- 
ants, as well as all the rest. Must it not have 
been a beautiful scene ; a beautiful triumph of 
Christian love. The plainly dressed and kind- 



104 THE TRUE SPIRIT. 

hearted Quakeress, the royal ruler of a great 
nation, a hundred or more poor criminals whom 
many would think it impossible to make bet- 
ter, all within the gloomy walls of Newgate, 
bowing before and acknowledging their de- 
pendence on the mercy and goodness of their 
Father in Heaven! Do you not think the 
angels would love to look upon that scene with 
far more delight than they would have looked 
upon the King of Prussia, at home, seated on 
his splendid throne, wearing his jewelled 
crown and his rich robes, and surrounded by 
all the nobles and officers of his court, in their 
most gorgeous dresses, and sparkling with their 
golden ornaments and costly diamonds ? 

I have described to you the desolation and 
misery war produces. Let me now show you 
how a nation may be conquered, not by the 
sword, but by truth and love. When the 
Spaniards gained possession of the southern 
portions of this continent, they did it by great 
armies, and by forcing the inhabitants to re- 
ceive their religion. To this, the usual prac- 
tice, there was, as we are told in Stevens's 
Travels in Central America, at least one ex- 
ception. 



THE TRUE SPIRIT. lOO 

There was a tract of country which the Span- 
iards tried three times to conquer; but they 
tried in vain, the inhabitants were so warhke. 
Las Casas, who was a superior in a convent in 
Gautimala, mourning over the bloodshed caus- 
ed by the attempts to subdue and convert the 
Indians, wrote, and declared from the pulpit, 
that the preaching of the Gospel was the only 
means God had ordained for making the hea- 
then Christians. He was laughed at and 
sneeringly advised to put his doctrine into 
practice. Undisturbed by the ridicule and 
mockery with which he was treated, he ac- 
cepted the proposal made to him. He took, 
for the place of his experiment, the tract of 
country I mentioned above, called Tierra de 
Guerra, or the land of war : and it was agreed 
that no Spaniard should reside in that country 
for five years. This settled, the monks com- 
posed some hymns in the Quicle language — 
the language spoken by the people whom it 
was intended to convert without the use of the 
sword. These hymns contained the history of 
the life and teachings and death and resurrec- 
tion of Jesus ; and were taught to some Indians 
who traded with the Quicles. One of the prin- 
10 



106 THE TRUE SPIRIT. 

cipal chiefs having heard them repeated by 
these Indians, was interested, and asked to 
have the story they related explained. The 
Indians replied this could only be done by 
those from vt^hom they received them. The 
chief, therefore, sent one of his brothers with 
rich presents, to entreat the monks that they 
would come and be his teachers. A single 
friar went first; and the chief having been 
made to understand the Gospel, burned his 
idols, and preached Christianity to his own 
subjects. Las Casas and another friend fol- 
lowed, and, like the Apostles of old, without 
scrip or staff, did what Spanish arms could not 
do, brought a portion of the land of war to 
the Christian faith. 

Sometimes the gentle spirit of a Christian 
woman has done more good than the bravest 
soldier could ever accomplish. I met, not long 
since, with a touching story to prove this. 
About the year 970, Micklaus, a warlike and 
tyrannical king of Poland, sought in marriage a 
young princess, the daughter of the neighbor- 
ing Duke of Bohemia. The noble lady refused 
to listen to his suit, unless he would be baptiz- 
ed and become a Christian. To gain her for a 



THE TRUE SPIRIT. 107 

wife, the haughty monarch consented to this 
condition, and they were married. But of 
course he was at first only a Christian in name, 
not in liis heart. Yet day by day the unwearied 
goodness and kindness of his queen obtained 
more and more power over him, and by de- 
gi'ees softened his rude nature. She was pa- 
tient and long- suffering, and at last had her 
reward. The king, on one of his marauding 
expeditions, ravaged the lands of an unoifend- 
ing tribe of herdsmen, destroyed their huts, 
drove off their cattle and scattered their de- 
fenceless families. On his return home, when 
no one else would have dared to utter a word 
of censure against tliis wicked deed, his wife 
met him wdth kind, yet plain reproaches and 
entreaties, and so, in part, reached his con- 
science. He was ashamed of his cruel exploit, 
of his gross injustice. The flocks were restor- 
ed or paid for, the ruined cottages were rebuilt, 
and the scattered people were permitted to re- 
turn to their old homes. Having done all tliis, 
the proud spoiler was satisfied, and said, boast- 
ingly, to his queen, " Cease now your accusa- 
tions. I have made good everything to the 
poor ^Welches I have w^ronged; and I trust 



108 THE TRUE SPIRIT. 

you will now be content." So the proud man 
spake. But the Christian woman knew better 
than this — knew that her husband as yet but 
very imperfectly understood the disposition 
Jesus required of him, and that he was far 
from being a true penitent. " Ah ! " she re- 
plied, " think you so ? But ivho will repay them 
for the tears they have shed 1 " These simple 
words of truth went to the heart of the monarch 
— taught him how mistaken was his opinion of 
his own virtue, humbled him, and made him 
indeed sorry for his wickedness. From that 
moment, it is said, he was a changed man ; and 
made it his ambition not to conquer with the 
sword, but to build churches and establish 
schools, and bestow on all his people the bless- 
ings of knowledge and religion. The words 
which the true spirit prompted a feeble woman 
to speak, gave to Poland the divine light of the 
Gospel. 

There are more stories I might tell, to point 
out other ways in which love works good to 
men, and to show how courage and bravery 
may be exhibited in noble deeds of mercy and 
kindness. But I must omit them, or this les- 
son will be too long. 



THE TRUE SPIRIT. 109 

I have tried, children, to explain why yon 
should tiy to cherish a kind and forgiving tem- 
per, and I have done this for two reasons. In 
the fii'st place, there is nothing more wanted in 
the world than such a temper. It is needed 
more than riches or knowledge. There are 
many and sad evils on earth, which nothing 
but the greater prevalence of the spirit of 
Jesus can remove ; that true and heavenly 
spirit, which prompted him to go about " doing 
good;" to seek and save the lost; to toil, and 
suffer, and die, that man might be redeemed 
from sin and misery ; which taught liim, when 
he was reviled not to revile again ; which 
caused him, even on the cross, to offer that 
touching prayer for his enemies, " Father for- 
give them, for they know not what they do." 
Yes, this spirit — how much is it wanted ; and 
how, wherever it came, it would change the 
face of things. It would turn the prison into a 
house of reformation ; it would put an end to 
all quarrels and fightings between individuals 
and nations ; it would deliver the slave from 
bondage, and spread peace and contentment 
and beauty all around. Christian love — that 

love which suffereth long and is kind ; which 
10# 



110 THE TRUE SPIRIT. 

is not easily provoked; which causes joy to 
spring up and gladness to appear all along its 
pathway, — this love born in every heart and 
shining out in every life — this love, making 
man's treatment of man the kindness of a 
brother towards a brother, — this love, with its 
gentle and unseen influence, yet most mighty 
and blessed in its action — is the only power 
which can make earth a paradise, and every 
desert place to blossom as the rose. More of 
this love — this true Christian spirit, is wanted. 
There never can be too much — never enough 
of it. You can add something to it ; and there- 
fore I have tried to show you its worth and to 
persuade you to seek it. I have done this for 
another reason. I have remembered 

'T is easier work if we begin 
To fear the Lord betimes. 

I know, after we grow up and our habits are 
fixed, and our tempers have got their prevail- 
ing character, how very hard it is to change. I 
know that the dispositions we indulge in early 
days, almost always to some extent remain our 
dispositions through life. Even when we may 
sincerely wish and sincerely try to be uniform- 



THE TRUE SPIRIT. Ill 

ly kind, strong passions will sometimes get the 
mastery again. I know this ; and so I would 
induce you, children, to begin now, whilst it is 
easy, and determine to have the same manner 
of spirit in you that was in Jesus Christ — a 
gentle, forgiving, loving spirit — a spirit with- 
out selfishness, anger, or revenge — a brave 
spirit to do good — a resolute spirit to be good 
— a disinterested spii'it to seek and save that 
which is lost. If you can acquire such a spirit, 
it will be worth more to you than all the wealth 
of earth ; for it will fill your own bosom with 
peace, and make you angels of peace to your 
fellow-men. 

Jan. 1843. 



VOICES IN THE TEMPLE. 



You have often, I hope, read the account 
of Samuel, (in the first Book of Samuel, 
chap, hi.) and you have often sung, perhaps, 
the beautiful hymn, beginning, 

In Israel's fane, by silent night, 
The lamp of God was burning bright ; 
And there by viewless angels kept, 
Samuel, the child, securely slept. 

You may remember, too, how Hannah, Samu- 
el's mother, gave him, when a little boy, to 
assist Eli, the priest ; and how she " made him 
a little coat, and brought it to him from year to 
year, when she came up with her husband to 
offer the yearly sacrificed' 

On a certain night, Samuel was asleep in 
the temple. This temple was not the great 
temple of Solomon, nor the temple in Jerusa- 
lem, which Jesus visited. It was a tabernacle 
— a sort of tent. The sides were made of 
beautiful curtains, hanging from silver rods. 



VOICES IN THE TEMPLE. 113 

wliicli reached from pillars that stood on 
pedestals of brass. Witliin this tent were 
separate rooms, containing the altar, the ark, 
and the golden candlestick in which lamps 
were kept burning. 

While Samuel lay down to sleep, a voice 
called. He thought it was Eli speaking to 
him, and he ran to Eli. But Eli said, " I called 
not; lie down again." And the voice called 
yet again, Samuel: and Samuel arose and 
went to Eli, and said, " Here am I ; for thou 
didst call me." And he answered, " I called 
not, my son; lie down again." This same 
thing happened a third time. " And Eli per- 
ceived that the Lord had called the child. — 
Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, go, lie down, 
and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt 
say. Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth. So 
Samuel went and lay down in his place. And 
the Lord came, and stood and called as at 
other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel 
answered, Speak, Lord, for thy servant hear- 
eth." Thus Samuel hearkened unto the voice 
of the Lord. He began by being a good child ; 
and he grew up to be a good man, and a ruler 
over the people. 



114 VOICES IN THE TEMrLE. 

Children, do yoii know, that, in some things, 
yon are like Samuel? You are young, like 
Samuel. You are in a temple, like Samuel. 
There are voices in that temple calhng to 
you, as the voice in the tabernacle called to 
Samuel. 

You are in a temple larger than the taber- 
nacle, the temple at Jerusalem, or the largest 
church in the world. The walls seem a great 
arch or dome extending as far as the eye can 
see. Sometimes this arch is of a clear blue 
color ; sometimes a dark curtain is drawn over 
it ; sometimes the curtain is folded up at one 
side, and is white, or golden, or purple, or all 
these colors mingled together. The walls are 
frequently almost covered with grand and 
beautiful pictures, and sometimes a bow of 
various tints stretches from side to side. This 
temple has a floor of green, sprinkled with 
bright gems and flowers, and has silver streams 
running through it. There are many pillars 
also ; some with broad bases and tops that 
appear to touch the roof, others with branches 
clothed with " living green." 

There are lamps in this temple. One, larger 
than the rest, to shine by day ; another, not 



VOICES IN THE TEMPLE. 115 

quite so large, shines, with milder beams, at 
night; and thousands and milHons that shine, 
and smile, and look down upon you ahxiost 
every evening. And then the music in this 
temple. How shall I describe that? Now it 
comes like the deep and loud tones of an 
hundred organs ; now it is soft and sweet as 
the whisper of love. At one time you can 
hear it, cheerful, like the voice of gladness ; at 
another time it is gentle and soothing, like a 
mother's song to her sleeping infant. This 
moment one note rises above all the rest. The 
next moment, perhaps, there is a grand concert 
of many sounds, floating, without one harsh 
tone, through the ah together. Constantly, too, 
is incense going up to heaven, from many 
altars, fi.lling the whole place with its perfumes. 
Full of wonder — full of beauty is this tem- 
ple. It is all around you now. We are in it 
now. You know what I mean. Yes I creation 
is the true temple. 

"The wondrous world which he Himself created, 

Is the fit temple of Creation's Lord; 
There may his worship best be celebrated, 

And praises poured^ 



116 VOICES IJV THE TEMPLE. 

Its altar, earth ; its roof, the sky untaiiited ; 

Sun, moon, and stars, the lamps that give it light; 
And clouds, by the celestial artist painted. 

Its pictures bright. 

Its choir, all vocal things, whose glad devotion 

In one united hymn is heavenward sped. 
The thunder-peal, the winds, the deep-mouthed ocean, 

Its organ dread. 



Was I not right when I said yon are living, 
like Samuel, in a temple ? In this temple is 
there not a voice, — does not God speak to 
you ? Perhaps you cannot hear him with your 
ears : but can you not hear him -with your 
minds and hearts ? Can you not hear a friend 
speak when he writes you a letter ? Can you 
not hear your mother speak when she looks 
upon you with a smile ? Is there not a voice 
in the gift of one who loves you ? So likewise 
has this temple a voice, a message, a call, 
which your spirits can hear. Go out now. 
Climb the highest hill-top. Behold the extent 
of the temple. Can you even see the end of it 
or the top of it? Can you even count its 
mountain- columns, — its forests, with shady 
aisles, — its rivers, — its armies of stars, — its 



VOICES IN THE TEMPLE. 117 

multitude of living things ? As you look on all 
the wonders above and around you, does not 
something say to your souls — ''How great is 
God!" 

Go out again. Consider how silently and 
orderly the stars move : how the waves of the 
sea are governed — how perfectly the beasts, 
and birds, and fishes are made. Study each 
leaf and flower. Are they not beautifully 
woven and beautifully painted ? Take a single 
blade of grass and examine it carefully — and 
as you do so, or as you gaze at once on all the 
skill and power of which earth is full, does not 
something say to your souls — " How wise is 
God!'' 

Go out once more. What lovely forms there 
are to please the eye I What delightful music 
to please the ear I What sweet odors on al- 
most every breeze I How the sun shines, to 
make the plants grow and to give light to 
man ! . How the showers fall, to refresh the 
earth I How is day a time for work ! How is 
darkness drawn softly around us like a curtain 
at night I How full of promise is seed-time ! 
How full of riches is harvest-time ! How 

every living thing, even the smallest insect, is 
11 



118 VOICES IN THE TEMPLE. 

fed and cared for ! As you think of this does 
not something say lo your souls, "■ How good is 
God!'' 

There is, then, in this temple, as I said, a 
voice calhng to you? It says God is the 
greatest and the ivisest of beings. Ought you 
not then to worship and reverence God. It 
says God is the best of beings. Ought you not 
then to obey and love God. 

2. But, children, this is not all. There are 
many other voices in this temple. Indeed 
everything that tells you a truth; everything 
that tells you how to be good ; everything that 
awakens a pure feeling, a holy thought, a right 
resolution, is the voice of God. 

Conscience, that is the voice of God within 
you. And does it not often speak ? Cannot 
the boy, who steals, or tells a falsehood, or 
does any wrong thing, if he will, hear it? 
Cannot the girl who is unkind, or disobedient, 
or in any way wicked, if she will, hear it ? 
Does it not make you unhappy and blame you 
when you have been sinful ? Does it not 
make you glad and speak kindly when you do 
right ? 

Distress and trouble is a voice in the temple. 



VOICES IN THE TEMPLE. 119 

When you see a poor, ignorant sick man, 
woman, or child ; when you see the honse of 
poverty, its broken windows, its cold, damp 
floors, its single brand on the fire, its few 
broken chair^ and table, and all its marks of 
sadness, and want, and suffering, do they not 
speak ? Do they not call upon you to be kind, 
and generous, and willing to help the unfortu- 
nate, — to go about as Jesus went about, doing 
good ? 

Death is a voice. Every little grave you see 
in the burial-ground, every funeral that passes 
you in the street, the going away of every 
companion who leaves you, speaks. It tells 
you that you are not always to live here, that 
this earth is not your home, that the spirit will 
not forever stay in the body. It bids you be 
good, and live so that you need not fear to die, 
so that you may be happy hereafter. 

The Bihle, and the kind and true words of 
your teachers, is a voice. They are sent by 
God to teach you what sort of creatures you 
are, — how you ought to think, and feel, and 
act, and try every day to be better and better, 
and to grow up more and more like Jesus. 
The}^ are sent by God to speak to you of your 



120 VOICES IN THE TEMPLE. 

duty and of heaven, — to point out the true 
way, and lead you in the pleasant and peaceful 
paths of wisdom and goodness. 

In short, children, everything is a voice — 
everything calls. God never leaves you. He 
is always in His temple, always calling to His 
children, always asking them to love Him and 
keep His commandments, to come to Him as 
their Father and to trust in His mercy and 
affection. 

Now, children, will you, like Samuel, hear 
the voice in the temple? Will each one of 
you try to rise up and say ; "Speak : for thy 
servant heareth?" You mayor may not do 
this. God will not force you to hear His voice. 
You may be deaf, or you may open your ears, 
and your minds, and your hearts, and catch 
every whisper of truth and love that is uttered 
in the temple. Will you not then try to hear 
and learn? If you will, then by and by you 
shall go to another temple, one far more beau- 
tiful and glorious than the temple you now live 
in; and where all shall be love, and joy, and 
peace, and bliss. Let all of you then make, 
these lines of the hymn, your daily prayer, 



VOICES IN THE TEMPLE. 121 

Speak, Lord ! and from our earliest days 
Incline our hearts to love thy ways; 
Thy wakening voice hath reached our ear ; 
Speak, Lord, to us ; thy servants hear. 



11* 



THE CHRISTMAS-TREE. 



" Every Christmas, since Charles was two 
years old, his father had dressed a Christmas- 
tree for him, after the fashion of his own coun- 
try. This was always the happiest day in the 
year to him. He spared no pains, no time, in 
adorning the tree, and making it as beautiful 
as possible. This year he went himself into 
the woods with Charles and his pupils and 
selected a fine spruce tree, and spent many 
hours in preparing it, and cutting ornaments 

for it of different colored paper, etc 

Then he placed wax tapers on every branch, 
carefully, so as to light the tree perfectly, but 
not to set fire to anything. . . . After tea, 
at the ringing of a bell, the door of the room 
where the tree was placed was opened, and 
the children entered. Dr. Follen always 
placed himself where he could see the child- 
ren's faces as they entered. ' It was in their 
eyes,' he used to say, ' that he loved to see the 
Christmas-tree-' After the lights were burned 



THE CHRISTMAS-TREE. 123 

out, and the baskets of sugar-plums that hung 
on the tree were distributed, the children 
danced or played at games/' 

Life of Br. Follen.^-f. 386. 

Just before a certain Christmas and a cer- 
tain New- Year's day, a boy's head was full, — 
as boys heads are apt to be at that season, — of 
all sorts of conjectures and fancies, in regard 
to the presents he meant to make and the 
presents he hoped to receive. Almost every 
hour he was wondering what father would 
give him, what mother would give him, what 
his elder brothers and sisters, his uncles, aunts, 
and cousins, and all his friends, would give 
him. One evening he talked and guessed and 
wished and thought aloud with his Kttle sister, 
about the expected gifts, till bed-time. He 
was not quite willing when the clock struck 
' his hour' to march up stairs : still, as he never 
sat up later, unless on some very remarkable 
occasion, Hke a birth-night or a Thanksgiving- 
night, he did march; and was soon snug 
between the sheets and tucked up warmly. 
For a few moments he sung and chattered 
away to himself; but an afternoon of sliding 



124 THE CHRISTMAS-TREE. 

and skating had made him rather tired, and it 
was not long before his eyes closed and his 
body went to' sleep. But his spirit would not 
go to sleep too, — at least not soundly. It kept 
thinking, in a queer way, about many queer 
things. At last it had, — or, as the spirit is the 
REAL boy, I will say he had quite a long and 
continued Dream ; a part of which I will try to 
tell you. 

The boy dreamed that it was Christmas -Eve, 
— that a little bell rung, — and that he, holding 
his sister by the hand, entered, with all the 
family, a large and beautiful room, which was 
as light as noonday. In the centre of the room 
stood quite a tall tree ; and by the side of the 
tree stood a lady, clad in a shining flowing robe 
of white, — with a wreath of orange blossoms 
around her head, fastened in front by a dia,- 
mond star; and from underneath the wreath 
long curls of golden hair flowed down over her 
shoulders. Her countenance was very lovely ; 
it seemed to the boy as if her smilp was even 
sweeter, purer and more full of affection than 
the smile of his mother; it went right to his 
heart, and won his confidence in an instant. 
As soon as she caught his steady and trustful 



THE CHRISTMAS=TREE. 125 

look, she pointed to the tree with one hand and 
beckoned him with the other to come towards 
it. He went towards it, leading his sister. 
The tree resembled and yet was unlike every 
Christmas-tree he had ever seen before ; the 
branches appeared more graceful, — the leaves 
of a deeper ' living green,' — the tapers gave a 
softer and yet more brilliant light. Instead of 
toys, and baskets of sugar-plums and papers of 
candy, suspended from the twigs, there were a 
number of small festoons, which looked as if 
made of the softest and most delicate satin, of 
various colors — though not a single color was 
gaudy or glaring — and interspersed among 
the tapers and festoons were several kinds of 
modest flowers, snow-drops, rose-buds, lilies of 
the valley, and the like, all as fresh as if just 
gathered with the dew of the summer's morning 
upon them, and shedding through the room a 
delightful odor. Presently the lady slightly 
touched, one after another, the festoons, and 
they all unrolled and hung down, as it were, so 
many silken banners. At the top of each was 
a picture ; below the picture, in golden letters, 
a sentence by itself, and underneath that, 
perfectly distinct lines of reading. When all 



126 THE CHRISTMAS-TREE. 

the festoons were unfolded and had arranged 
themselves gracefully, so as to be bathed in the 
clearest light, the lady made a sign to the boy 
and his sister to look and read, as much as they 
wished. The children were glad enough to do 
so, and they looked and read with eager eyes 
and delighted hearts, 'till they had gone over 
every silken page, and some of them more 
than once. 

I have neither time nor room, now, to tell 
you what the boy dreamed was on all these" 
' banners ; ' but I will describe two or three as 
specimens of the rest, so that you can imagine 
what kind of gifts loaded the tree. 

On one, for example, was a representation 
of a kind and benevolent Quaker, surrounded 
by a group of Indians, who gazed upon him 
with respect and affection. Then came the 
motto : 

'blessed are the peace-makers.' 
Then this true story : — 

'* In 1698 there were, in what is now the 
State of Pennsylvania, some fertile lands, 
which William Penn ascertained were not 
included in his first purchase. As he was very 
desirous to obtain these lands, he offered to 



THE CHRISTMAS-TREE. 127 

buy them of the Indians. They said they had 
no wish to part with the spot where their 
fathers were buried : but to please him, they 
would sell a portion of the territory. The 
bargain was, that Penn should have as many 
acres as a young man could travS round in one 
day. This proposal came from the Indians : 
yet when it had been tried they were greatly 
dissatisfied : for the young Englishman walked 
much faster and farther than they anticipated. 
Penn observed their discontent and asked the 
cause. ' The walker cheated us,' said the 
Indians. ' Ah, how can that be/ said Penn : 
' did you not choose yourselves to have the 
land measured thus ? ' ' True,' replied the 
Indians, ' but white brother make a big walk I.' 
Some of Penn's company said the bargain was 
a fair one, and the Indians ought to be com- 
pelled to abide by it. ' Compelled I 'exclaimed 
Penn: 'how ca?i you compel ihem. without 
bloodshed, — without murder ? ' Then turning, 
with a smile, to the Indians, he said, ' Well 
brothers, if you have given us too much land 
for the goods first agreed on, how much more 
will satisfy you ? ' They liked this treatment ; 
and named the quantity of cloth, fish-hooks, 



128 THE CHRISTMAS-TREE. 

etc., with which they would be content. This 
was given at once, and the Indians went away 
with bright faces. Penn, after they were gone, 
turned to his friends and said, ' O, how sweet 
and cheap a thing is charity. How wrong it 
would have been to fight and kill those poor 
natives for a little piece of land I ' — - The un- 
tamed savages became warm friends of the 
good Quaker : and when his colony suffered 
for the want of food, they cheerfully came 
forward and assisted the white men with the 
fruits of their labor in hunting.'* 

On the next of the unrolled pieces of satin, 
was the picture of a counting-room, in which a 
man, with tears of gratitude rolling down his 
cheeks, was grasping the hand of a generous- 
hearted merchant : then followed these words : 

'overcome evil with good.' 
And next, another true narrative : — 

" In a city in England lived two brothers, 
who were merchants, and well known for their 
benevolence. A young man was wicked 
enough to write a pamphlet ridiculing these 
good men. When the elder brother was told 
of the book, he only said, the author would 
live to be sorry for its publication. On hearing 



THE CHRISTMAS-TREE. 129 

this speech the author observed, proudly, he 
should take care never to be in their debt. 
But a business man does not always know 
who may be his creditor. The writer became 
a bankrupt, and the brothers held in their 
hands a note of his, which had come to them 
in the way of trade, and the endorser of which 
was also a bankrupt. By the laws of the land 
he could not be relieved from his trouble and 
enter into business again, unless he could get 
these gentlemen, whom he had so wantonly 
abused, to sign a certificate, releasing him 
from his obligation to pay his debts. It seemed 
almost folly to hope they would do this for 
one who had treated them as he had done. 
Why should they, whom he had without good 
reason tried to make ridiculous, forget the 
wrong and favor the wrong-doer? He was 
almost in despair : but then he had a family to 
support, and therefore forced himself to make 
the application. He went to the counting-room 
of the brothers, and found there the eldest of 
the two. The first words, sternly uttered, 
were, ' Shut the door, sir I ' With a trembling 
voice he told his story, and made his request. 

' You wrote a pamphlet against us once ! * said 

12 



130 THE CHR1STMAS = TREE. 

the merchant, taking the certificate. The poor 
debtor gave up all hope, fully expecting to see 
the paper go into the fire. But the merchant 
immediately signed his name : he did more, he 
asked the man about his family, and gave him 
a ten pound note. The tears of gratitude 
filled the eyes of the debtor. ' Ah ! ' said his 
benefactor, * my saying was true. I said you 
would live to repent writing that pamphlet. I 
meant no threat : I only meant that some day 
you would know us better and regret having 
tried to injure us. I see you regret it now.' " 

A third festoon, as it dropped down, disclosed 
a drawing of tv/o Arabs : the one seated under 
a palm tree, and the other, with downcast eyes, 
leading towards him a beautiful horse. Below 
were these words : 

' RESIST NOT EVIL.' 

This anecdote was added : — 

'' Among the Arabs, Nabee possessed a very 
swift horse, which Daher, who belonged to 
another tribe, greatly desired to obtain. Hav- 
ing failed to buy the noble animal, he resolved 
upon a trick to get him. Disguised as a lame 
beggar he waited by the side of the road, 



THE CHRTSTMAS-TREE. 131 

where he knew Nabee would soon pass. 
When Nabee came, Daher cried out piteously 
for help. Nabee, at once, dismounted and 
brought his horse near and helped the poor 
cripple, as he thought him, into the saddle. 
The moment the pretended beggar was on the 
back of the animal, he touched him with his 
heel and started, saying, ' It is I, Daher, who 
have got him now.' Nabee called upon him 
to stop : which Daher did. Nabee then said : 
' Thou hast got my horse : but I pray you tell 
no one how thou hast obtained him.' * Why 
not ? ' said Daher. ' Because,' replied Nabee, 
' the really sick may remain without aid : you 
would be the cause why some one who heard 
this story would refuse to perform an act of 
charity, from the fear of being cheated as I 
have been.' These words touched the heart 
and conscience of the thief, and he immedi- 
ately brought back the horse; and the two 
Arabs parted good friends.*' 

But I must not tell all about the pictures 
and sentences and stories the boy dreamed he 
saw and read. There were a great many of 
them, — very beautiful and very true. He saw 
Mungo Park, just as he was about to lie down 



132 THE CHRISTMAS-TREE. 

and die of thirst, in the desert, filled with 
new hope, as he saw a little tuft of grass, and 
thought that God, who took care of the flowers 
in lonely places, would also take care of him : 
he saw little Nell, leading her old grandfather, 
like a loving and patient child : he saw Grace 
Darling, a brave young girl, going in a boat, up- 
on the stormy sea, when strong men were afraid, 
to save people from the wreck of a steam-ship : 
he saw Howard, in hospitals and jails, taking 
care of poor creatures sick with the plague 
and other terrible diseases: he saw honest 
John Pounds, in his cobbler's shop, with his 
cats and birds, teaching poor children: he 
saw these (whose good deeds your parents 
and teachers will relate,) and many more be- 
sides, which I cannot even name here. But 
the last festoon that was unrolled deserves a 
particular description. 

The picture represented a company of angels, 
bearing in their arms a child towards the bright 
skies, which seemed to open a way to heaven. 
The motto was : 

* SUFFER LITTLE CHILDREN TO COME UNTO ME.* 

And then followed, — 



THE CHRISTMAS-TREE. 133 



(Hijt Jorlarn Cljilir's (Jri}n0tma0^(£t)£. 

How bird-like, o'er the flakes of snow, 

Its fairy footsteps flew ; 
And on its soft and childish brow 

How delicate the hue ! 

And expectation wings its feet, 

And stirs its infant smile ; 
The merry bells their chime repeat : 

The child stands still the while, — 

Then clasps, in joy, its little hands. 
And marks the Christian dome, — 

The stranger-child, in stranger-lands. 
Feels now as if at home. 

It runs along the sparkling ground : 

Its face with gladness beams : 
It frolics in the blaze around, — 

Which from each window gleams. 

The shadows glance upon the wall, 

Reflected from the trees, — 
And from the branches, green and tall. 

The glittering gift it sees. 

It views, within the lighted hall. 

The charm of social love; 
Oh ! what a joyous festival, — 

'Tis sanctioned from above. 
12=^ 



134 THE CHRISTMAS-TREE. 

But now the childish heart 's unstrung^ — 

' Where is my taper's light ? 
And why no evergreen been hung 

With toys for me to-night ? 

In my sweet home there was a band 

Of holy love for me ; 
A mother's kind and tender hand 

Once decked my Christmas-tree. 

Oh ! some one take me 'neath the blaze 

Of these light tapers, — do ; 
And, children, I can feel the plays, — 

Oh ! let me play with you. 

I care not for the prettiest toy : 

I want the love of home: 
Oh ! let me, in your playful joy, 

Forget I have to roam.' 

The little fragile hand is raised, 

It strikes at every gate ; 
In every window earnest gazed, 

Then 'mid the snow it sate. 

Christinkle ! * Thou, the children's friend, 

I 've none to love me now ; 
Hast thou forgot my tree to send, 

With lights on every bough ^ ' 



* Christinkle^ — a word used in New- Jersey and 
Pennsylvania, means 'the child Christ.' The ballad is 
a translation from the German. 



THE CHRISTMAS-TREE. 135 

The baby's hands are numbed with frost, 

Yet press the little cloak : 
Then on its breast, in meekness crossed ; — 

A sigh the silence broke. 

And closer still the cloak it drew 

Around its silken hair ; 
Its pretty eyes, so clear and blue, 

Alone defied the air. 

Then came another pilgrim-child, 

A shining light he held : 
The accents fell so sweet and mild, — 

All music they excelled. 

< I am thy Christmas friend indeed, — 

And once a child like thee : 
When all forget, thou need'st not plead, — ■ 

I will adorn thy tree. 

My joys are felt in street or bower. 

My aid is everywhere ! 
Thy Christmas-tree, my precious flower, 

Here in the open air, — 

Shall far outshine those other trees 

Which caught thy infant eye.' 
The stranger-child looks up, and sees, 

Far in the deep blue sky, — 

A glorious tree, and stars among 
The branches hang their light : 



136 THE CHRISTMAS-TREE. 

The child, with soul all music, sung 
* My tree indeed is bright.' 

As 'neath the power of a dream 

The infant closed its eyes ; 
And troops of radiant angels seem 

Descending from the skies. 

The baby to its Christ they bear : 

With Jesus it shall live ; 
It finds a home and treasure there 

Sweeter than earth can give. 

After the boy had read this poetry, the angel- 
like lady pointed to the top of the tree : and 
there he saw a golden cross, with a small, 
beautifully bound book leaning against it, fast- 
ened by a wreath of young olive leaves, and it 
was lettered in gold — ' Words of Jesus and 
Good Men to Children.' The lady loosen- 
ed the wreath, and opened the volume, and 
held it towards the bo'y. On the two pages he 
could see, he found these precepts and prom- 
ises : — 

* Remember now thy Creator in the days of 
thy youth' ' When ye pray, say, Our Father 
who art in heaven' * Blessed are the pure in 



THE CHRISTMAS-TREE. 137 

heart : for they sliall see God! ' Swear not at 
all! ' He that will see good days, let him refrain 
his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking 
guile! ' Children, obey your parents in the 
Lord: for this is right! ' When my father and 
my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take 
me up! ' An idle soul shall suffer hunger! ' It 
is more blessed to give than to receive! ' Little 
children, let no man deceive you : he that doeth 
righteousness is righteous! ' My little children, 
let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in 
deed and in truth! ' Jesus said: learn of me, for 
I am meek and loivly in heart, I am the way, 
and the truth and the life. I am the good shep- 
herd. Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall 
never die! 

Presently the lady closed the book and gave 
it to the boy, and taking him by the hand,, 
walked round the tree, and pointed to each of 
the silken banners. Then looking upon him 
with a sweet smile, she said, in a clear, gentle 
voice, — ' Go, and do thou likewise : and thy 
whole life shall be a Christmas-tree, making thy- 
self and many others happy! The boy awoke : 
and the bright sun of a winter's morning was 



138 THE CHRISTMAS-TREE. 

pouring its beams into his chamber. But he 
never forgot this dream. The Christmas-tree 
was ever Hving and green in his memory : and 
often, till he was an old man, and on his death- 
bed even, did he remember and find wisdom 
and comfort and hope in the lessons of truth it 
had taught him. 

Dec. 1845. 



A DREAM OF PEACE. 



" Blessed are the peace-makers, for they shall be 
called the children of God." 

If I should say that the Printers of this book 
sent me word that they had not enough copy, 
or manuscript, to make up the last form — and 
that unless I furnished them with more copy 
they should be obliged to leave six blank 
pages at the end of the volume — if I should 
give this as the reason for adding here another 
short lesson, some of my younger readers, 
perhaps, would not understand me. Let me 
tell them, then, that books are printed — so 
many pages at a time — on one sheet: some- 
times four pages — sometimes eight — some- 
times twelve — and sometimes sixteen — 
according to the size of the book, The types, 
after being set up, letter by letter, so as to 
make words and sentences, in lines, are divided 
into pages, and arranged, regularly, in what 
Printers call theyorw; and it is always best to 



140 A DREAM OF PEACE. 

have an even number of pages. Well — the 
Printers of this little volume, as I have said, 
had not quite copy enough to make out the 
last form ; and they thought it would be better 
for me to write a few lines more, than to leave 
six blank pages. — So I will just tell you a 
short but curious, and, as I think, beautiful 
dream a friend of mine had. But first I must 
tell you what prbbably suggested his dream. 

You have heard, I hope, — for it is a truly 
Christian institution, ^— of the "ministry at 
large," in Boston. It was established, I be- 
lieve, about fifteen years ago. Dr. Tuckerman 
was the first minister; and was employed in 
visiting and preaching to the poor, who did 
not belong to any of the churches, and attended 
seldom, if at all, upon public worship on Sunday. 
The good work prospered in this good man's 
hands : and the ministry has been so enlarged 
in its operations, that now there are several 
ministers, who, like Dr. Tuckerman, go from 
house to house among the poor and preach on 
Sunday in their chapels. The example of 
those citizens of Boston who maintain this 
ministry has been followed in four or five 
cities in this country and also in England. 



A DREAM OF PEACE. 141 

Some two or three years since, the children 
connected with the Sunday- school of one of 
the chapels in Boston, wrote letters, and sent 
as presents, bundles of little tracts to the 
children connected with the Sunday-schools 
under the care of the ministers at large in 
Liverpool and Manchester. These English 
boys and girls, especially those in the latter city, 
which is a great manufacturing place, with a 
large population, thousands upon thousands 
of whom are wretchedly poor, do not enjoy 
such advantages for getting knowledge as you 
enjoy — as the most destitute children enjoy 
everywhere in New England. They are 
compelled to work long dreary hours, by day 
and by night, in the factories, with or without 
their parents, to earn a miserable livelihood ; just 
enough, sometimes, to keep them from starva- 
tion. They do not go to school, they are often 
sick and deformed, and grow up surrounded by 
almost everything to make them unhappy and 
wicked. When the ministers, who are trying 
to do some good to the poor and neglected and 
ill-treated boys and girls in the two cities I 
have named, received the letters from the boys 

and girls in Boston, they were surprised to 
13 



142 A DREAM OF PEACE. 

find how well they were written; and they 
published some of the letters, with remarks of 
their own, in a periodical, to show how much 
more care is taken here of the education of the 
children of the poor, than in England. They 
sent this periodical, and also such answers to 
the Boston letters as their less-favored schol- 
ars could write, to my friend, who is one of the 
ministers at large, in Boston. The evening of 
the day on which he received these letters 
from poor children, thousands of miles off, he 
was engaged in reading them, until he went to 
bed. He fell asleep ; and, as it often happens, 
what he had been thinking about when awake, 
shaped the fanciful wanderings of his mind, 
whilst his body rested in slumber. 

He thought that he was on board a great 
ship — a man-of-war; and that he was, in 
some sort, the captain. A strange change, how- 
ever, had happened to the vessel. He was 
walking up and down between decks. But he 
wore no uniform and no sword. He saw no 
guns and no marines with muskets, or armed 
sailors. There were no hatchets, cutlasses, or 
spears, or pistols, hanging up round the masts ; 
no heaps of balls piled together like pyramids, 






A DREAM OF PEACE. 143 

no chests standing about filled with deadly 
weapons. The scene was entirely different. 
The whole appearance of the ship was altered. 
At each porthole, where the great cannons are 
usually run out in an engagement, there was 
a class of boys and a teacher ; and, what was 
quite striking, one half of the scholars and 
teachers were English and the other half 
Americans. It was, in fact, a Sunday-school, 
floating on the ocean — and my friend was the 
Superintendent, watching over the children of 
both countries, as they had met together — not 
to fight, but to learn how to be Christians, — 
brothers and sisters ! 

This was the short and simple dream ; but 
you can perceive that short and simple as it is 
it has a beautiful meaning, full of hope and 
promise. Does it not look far down into the 
future, and see what may by and by be — not 
a dream — but a fact and reality ? If the child- 
ren of two great nations, under the instructions 
of good men, leani to cultivate Christian 
friendships — by exchanging letters and gifts 
— and praying for blessings upon each other, 
will they, when they grow up, be very ready 
to rush into bloody battles, and to contend 



144 A DREAM OF PEACE. 

as enemies ? Do you think if a Manchester 
boy and a Boston boy who corresponded as 
Christian brothers, when young, should meet 
when they became men, they would be quick 
to quarrel, or as soldiers or sailors be very anx- 
ious to fight ? — No. Then this dream points 
out the way in which peace is to come on 
earth and good will be spread among men. To 
a very great extent, children are the hope of 
the world. They are the missionaries who 
may be trained, and who may train themselves 
to be better teachers of the Gospel, and better 
disciples of Jesus Christ, than have yet been 
known on earth. If, whilst young, they learn 
to love one another, to give and receive true 
thoughts, kind feelings, and good deeds — even 
across the wide ocean — then they will do 
much to hasten that day when "men shall 
beat their swords into ploughshares, and their 
spears into pruning-hooks^ and learn war no 
more." 



ANDREWS, PRENTISS AND STUDLEY, 
PRINTERS. 



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